


Like Birds Of A Feather

by CoffeeAddict80



Category: Glee
Genre: (Background) Finchel, Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Anderberry Siblings, Appearances By Various Other Canon Characters, Canon Typical Displays of Homophobia Bullying Harassment and Assault, High School, Hummelberry Friendship, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Implied/Referenced Sexual Harassment, M/M, secret friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:48:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 79,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25425661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CoffeeAddict80/pseuds/CoffeeAddict80
Summary: When Blaine Anderson met Kurt Hummel, he was surprised that his  sister, Rachel Berry, had never mentioned her amazing - and gorgeous -  best friend to him before. He was even more surprised to learn that  Rachel had kept Blaine a secret from all of her friends as well.Soon  after their initial meeting, they learn that Dalton & McKinley will  be facing-off against one another at Sectionals, forcing them to keep  their rapidly growing friendship under-wraps until after the  competition.But what will Rachel have to say about all of this when she finds out?
Relationships: Blaine Anderson & Rachel Berry, Blaine Anderson/Kurt Hummel, Rachel Berry & Kurt Hummel
Comments: 90
Kudos: 109
Collections: Glee Potluck Big Bang 2020





	1. Chapter 1 (Prologue)

**Author's Note:**

> prepare for a long author's note...
> 
> in this AU: Kurt, Blaine, & Rachel are all in the same grade (Seniors - 12th grade). this story uses some canon plot elements in a different context and/or timeline while also creating new "past" events. also, since I originally began writing this story in 2012/2013 it features a PRE-transition Coach Beiste with she/her pronouns. each chapter *SHOULD* have individual chapter warnings at the top of them, but there is nothing explicit to worry about - mostly just brief mentions or implications that something happened. (if I missed any warnings, please feel free to contact me to let me know so I can add them).
> 
> this story was written for the @gleepotluckbigbang. it is **complete** and will be posted in its entirety by the end of the day. this story has been a long time coming. I began writing it almost 8 years ago, and it has been sitting untouched and unfinished on my computer since mid 2013. I thought it was going to remain that way forever. but, thanks to the Glee Potluck Big Bang, I was inspired to dust it off, polish it up, and finish the story.
> 
> I need to say thank you to the GPBB mods for all of their hard work putting this event together and making sure it ran smoothly! also thank you to my amazing artist @datshitrandom for her stunningly gorgeous cover artwork! I absolutely love it!! and thank you to my 2 betas, @random-klainer0100 for reviewing my initial first draft & @tchrgleek for stepping in last-minute to proofread my (heavily) revised final draft! you are all wonderful people, and I feel like I can’t say thank you enough to each of you!
> 
>   
> [(click for full size)](http://www.imagebam.com/image/e294101349360276)  
> 

“Hey, Rach!” Kurt Hummel said, as he walked up to his best friend, who was standing in front of his locker waiting for him. He took one look at her expression and sighed loudly. “Uh-oh, what did my idiot brother do now?”

She looked up from her phone where she was furiously typing out an angry text message. “Why do you always assume Finn is the cause of my emotional distress? I’ll have you know that Finn and I are doing just fine, thank you very much! He has been nothing but a perfect gentleman all week,” Rachel huffed.

Kurt rolled his eyes and mumbled under his breath “Yes, well, it _is_ only Tuesday.” He quickly schooled his features and replied louder in a clear voice so Rachel could hear him, “Okay, if Finn isn’t the problem, then why the tense shoulders and annoyed expression?” He opened his locker and began switching out his books for the second half of the school day.

She gave an exaggerated sigh and said, “I have to go to a wedding on Saturday and my dad just texted me saying that the only available appointment for my dress fitting is today during Glee Club. I _never_ miss Glee Club! I was planning on singing the solo I prepared for Sectionals! I just know that Mercedes and Santana will try to take advantage of me not being there to convince Mr. Schue that they deserve the solo instead of me. I can’t let them steal my solo like that! I can’t! I _have_ to be there!”

“Breathe, Rachel, breathe. Sectionals is still over a month away and none of the song selections or soloists have been determined yet. Besides, this is Mr. Schuester you’re talking about. You know he is most likely going to not only give you the solo, but the duet, as well as lead vocals on the group song. So, even if for some bizarre reason he does give the solo to someone else, you will still have other opportunities to shine during the competition,” Kurt explained in his most reassuring voice.

Rachel looked at him as though he had just slapped her. “ _No_! Kurt, you don’t understand. I _need_ that solo! There are going to be college scouts in the audience. How am I supposed to get into NYADA if the scouts don’t hear me sing! Why do you think that it’s okay for Mr. Schue to just hand my solo over to someone decidedly less talented? Do you want to lose? Do you? This is our Senior year, Kurt! Glee Club has to at least _qualify_ for Nationals if I have any chance of getting into NYADA, and that won’t happen with a setlist that does not heavily feature Rachel Berry!”

Kurt pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index finger and took a few deep breaths before he replied to her. “You are not the only Senior in Glee Club that hopes to get noticed by the colleges in attendance. Not to mention, you already have a guaranteed audition with the NYADA faculty in March, thanks to your early qualification from your summer program application. Oh, don’t give me that look Rachel!” he said, when he noticed her glaring at him. “You know I love you, but you are seriously blowing this way out of proportion. Missing _one_ Glee rehearsal isn’t the end of the world; and like I said, we still have over a _month_ until Sectionals. You’ll have plenty of time to convince Mr. Schue to see things from your perspective.”

Rachel opened her mouth to argue with him when the warning bell rang. “Gotta run to History. See ya later, Rach!” he said, slamming his locker door shut and taking off down the hallway.

\---

Kurt walked into the choir room after his last class and was slightly surprised to see Rachel sitting there in the front row. “Aren’t you supposed to be at a fitting?” he asked, as he took a seat behind her. She gave him a pointed glare then silently turned to face the front of the room. After a few moments, everyone had arrived, and Mr. Schuester was just beginning the lesson when there was a soft knock on the open choir room door. Kurt looked up and saw a boy that looked vaguely familiar. He was wearing a white dress shirt with its sleeves rolled up to the elbow and gray slacks. His dark brown hair was neatly gelled, and he had a shy smile on his face. Mr. Schuester gave the boy a quick once-over and asked, “Yes? Is there something I can help you with?”

The boy looked over at Rachel and then back at the teacher and said, “Yes. I’m here for Rachel Berry.”

Rachel quickly hopped up out of her chair and ran over to him. “Blaine! What are you doing here?” she whisper-shouted at the boy.

He rolled his eyes at her and replied, “If you actually checked your phone, you would know the answer to that.” When Rachel didn’t reply, he continued, “Since you can’t be trusted to make it to your appointment on time, I was told to pick you up so you wouldn’t miss it. So, hurry up and get your stuff or you’re going to be late, and then we’ll both be in trouble.” Blaine then turned his back on Rachel and addressed the teacher at the front of the classroom, “I apologize for the disruption, Mr. Schuester; but Rachel has a very important appointment to attend and was supposed to head directly home after school. I realize that you are preparing for an upcoming competition, but unfortunately this appointment was unable to be rescheduled. I hope her absence today won’t be too much of an inconvenience?”

The teacher’s face showed shock at the boy’s polite behavior, especially after the casual and sarcastic attitude he had while talking to Rachel. He shook his head then replied, “No, of course not. We were just going to go over some details for the lesson for this week.” Then he turned to Rachel and added, “I know you had a song prepared for today, but since you are leaving, I expect that you will be ready to sing first on Thursday.” Rachel just stood there glaring at Blaine while he spoke to her teacher. When Mr. Schuester addressed her, she nodded her head, grabbed her bag, and stormed out of the room. Blaine shook his head, sighed loudly, and followed her into the hallway.

As soon as the pair left, Finn looked around the room and said, “What just happened? Who was that guy?”

Kurt, after hearing Rachel call the boy Blaine, realized why he looked so familiar. Blaine was Rachel’s younger brother who attended a private boarding school in another town. He was rarely ever home, opting to stay at school most weekends due to the numerous clubs and activities he belonged to. While Kurt had never met Blaine during the year-and-a-half that he and Rachel had been best friends, he had seen several pictures of him hung up around the Berry household.

Kurt looked over toward his stepbrother and replied, “That was Blaine.” Upon seeing the confused expression on Finn’s face he elaborated, “Her brother.”

Finn did a double-take. “Rachel has a brother?” he squeaked.

Kurt groaned. “Seriously, Finn? You’ve been dating Rachel for a little over two years now, and you didn’t know she had a brother? How is that even possible? There are pictures of him and Rachel all over Rachel’s house.”

Finn shrugged his shoulders and asked, “How old is he? Does he go to McKinley?”

“No, he doesn’t go here. He boards at some private school somewhere. I don’t remember if she ever said which one,” Kurt answered. “All I know is, she said he was younger than her, but I don’t know how old he is. Probably a Junior? Maybe? I don’t know.”

“Dude, how do you know so much about him? She’s never even mentioned him to me before,” Finn asked, dejectedly.

Kurt was quick to try and reassure his stepbrother. “She really hasn’t told me that much either, Finn. All I know about him is what I’ve told you… and that Blaine usually stays in the dorms at school over the weekends because he is in a lot of school clubs that have meetings or events during the weekends and it’s easier than driving back and forth all the time. I think the only reason she even told me as much as she did was because I asked her about him. A few months ago, I overheard her dads telling her how Blaine was a finalist in some tournament, and she was expected to attend; so I asked her who Blaine was. She pointed to a picture and goes ‘my younger brother’ then changed the subject. I’ve asked her a few questions about him here-and-there since then, but she doesn’t really say much, if anything at all.” Kurt let out a long sigh and asked, “You really have never heard her or either one of her dads mention him? At all? Or thought to ask about why there were _so_ many pictures of him throughout the house – both with and with _out_ Rachel?”

Tina answered before Finn could. “Come on, Kurt; you gotta admit that it’s weird how you seem to be the _only_ one that knew she had a brother.”

“No, I think it’s weird how all of you _didn’t_ know she had one.”

“You really don’t think it’s weird that she never talks about him to us?” Tina argued.

“Why should I?” he asked. “I mean, how many times have any of you heard Quinn talk about her older sister, Frannie? I can’t recall Quinn ever mentioning her. Yet every single one of you is aware she has a sister. So, why is it weird that Rachel doesn’t talk about her brother? Because you didn’t know she had one? Is that the difference?”

Mr. Schuester saved Tina from having to answer by announcing that he was starting the lesson and to keep all other discussions for after practice.

~*~

“Blaine! I can’t believe you would just barge into my Glee rehearsal and demand I leave like that! We have a lot of work to do before our Sectionals competition, and I can’t afford to miss any rehearsals! I am co-captain of that club. Those people need my leadership and expertise to guide them. How are they supposed to see me as a leader when I bail on them during _competition_ _preparation_? Thank god you at least had the decency to remove your blazer and tie before you decided to waltz in there like you own the place. If my Glee Club knew you went to Dalton, there would have been a riot in there. Speaking of Dalton, shouldn’t you be there right now? Don’t you have a practice, or a rehearsal, or a meeting, or _something_ you should be at? What are you even doing here anyway, besides making my life a living hell that is?” Rachel exclaimed as soon as Blaine’s car started pulling out of the McKinley High parking lot.

Blaine took a deep breath trying to calm himself before answering her. “First of all, I don’t understand what me going to Dalton has to do with anything. Our schools’ sports teams are in different divisions and have never even played each other. As far as I know, our schools have never even crossed paths with one another for _any_ type of extracurricular event, not just sports; so, it’s not like we’re rivals or anything, but whatever.

“Secondly, Dad and Papa thought it would be easier to schedule my tux fitting for the same time as your dress fitting. Once you started yelling at them about missing Glee, they asked me to pick you up and drive you there because they knew you would try to blow it off – especially since you got a ride to school from your boyfriend this morning. And yes, I _am_ missing Warbler rehearsal right now. I also had to leave school early to get to Lima on time, so I missed my English class too; not to mention I’m going to miss my track practice on Saturday so I can actually attend this wedding. So, _please_ stop taking your frustrations out on me. I’m in the same boat that you are,” he told her.

“You’re right. I’m sorry,” she whined. “It’s just that I have a lot riding on this competition, and I don’t want something as stupid as a dress to mess up my chances of getting into NYADA.”

“Rachel, you know how important it is to Dad and Papa that we attend their friend’s wedding this weekend, especially since both of us were asked to sing at the reception. I know you don’t want to get on stage looking anything less than perfect. Missing one Glee rehearsal to ensure that you _look_ as beautiful as you _sound_ for this event isn’t going to ruin your college ambitions. Besides, your teacher said you weren’t doing anything competition-related today, didn’t he?” He briefly took his eyes off the road to see his sister nod her head with a resigned look on her face. He could tell she was holding back on another argument, so he continued hoping to get his point across to her before she could speak up. “The Warblers _are_ working on choreography and harmonization for one of our Sectionals numbers right now. So, I’m _actually_ missing an important Glee Club rehearsal, unlike you. Luckily my roommate, Jeff, volunteered to catch me up on the choreography aspect when I get back to the dorms tonight. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to do anything about the harmonies until next rehearsal though. And seeing as how we’re an _a capella_ group, having tight harmony is vital for us to succeed. However, we still have several weeks to work on getting everything just right. You gotta remember that Sectionals is over a _month_ away, so there is plenty of time to fine-tune any imperfections to the routine. Just take a deep breath and try not to worry so much, okay?”

Rachel crossed her arms over her chest and let out an annoyed huff. “I hate it when you use logic on me. Fine, I’ll stop complaining about missing rehearsal, but that doesn’t mean I have to be happy about it.”

He pulled his car into a parking space in the lot in front of the tailor’s shop. “That’s all I ask. Come on, we’re here. Let’s go get this over with,” Blaine said, before hopping out of the car.

\---

Later that night, Kurt was on the phone with Rachel, and he assured her that there were no shady deals for competition soloists being made behind her back. In fact, no one had even _mentioned_ Sectionals during the rehearsal she missed, and that she had freaked out over nothing. Once she was satisfied, she moved on to discussing the wedding she would be singing at and how it would be helpful to have an unbiased audience to critique her performance.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: mentions of sexual harassment/assault

**_[Two-and-a-half weeks later]_ **

Kurt was so thankful that today was finally Friday. The past two weeks had been pure _torture_ for him. First, he had to deal with all of Rachel’s insecurities over missing one Glee Club meeting. For the rest of that week, she was insufferable, trying to make up for lost time, while also making Kurt and Finn listen to her rehearse her setlist for the wedding she was attending that weekend.

Then last week, after teasing and tormenting Kurt all day, David Karofsky had shattered Kurt’s phone by smacking it out of Kurt’s hands then stomping on it. This caused Kurt to finally snap and attempt to fight back. He chased Karofsky down the hall to the empty locker room and began yelling at him. Just when Kurt thought he was about to get punched in the face, Karofsky surprised him by grabbing hold of him and roughly kissing him instead.

Kurt had left school shaking like a leaf, eyes red from crying. Instead of going straight home, he drove to the mobile store to get a new cell phone. Luckily his phone had been insured, so he didn’t have to pay too much out-of-pocket for the new one. When he got home and his father saw his red eyes and withdrawn behavior, Kurt told him he was just upset over having accidentally dropped and broken his phone – claiming he didn’t realize it was covered by insurance and thought he’d have to pay full price for a new one.

The next day, David Karofsky threatened to kill Kurt if he ever told anyone about what happened in the locker room. Later that afternoon, after enduring more bullying from Karofsky, Kurt went to talk to Principal Figgins. Kurt told Figgins about the broken phone, the pushing and shoving, and the death threat, but he left out the part about the kiss in the locker room. Unfortunately, Figgins said that without any proof, he couldn’t do anything to help Kurt.

This week was only _slightly_ better for him. Kurt had been slushied every day this week. On Monday, he was pushed into an open locker door that tore a hole in his brand-new sweater. Tuesday, he was passed over for yet another solo in Glee Club. Wednesday, he got a detention for being late to class because he had stopped into the bathroom in attempt to clean up some of the slushie out of his hair and clothes before the stains set in, instead of going straight to his classroom when the bell rang. On Thursday, he forgot his wallet causing him to not be able to purchase lunch. And today, he woke up with a migraine-like headache. To top it all off, all week long he’d had to endure his brother’s over-enthusiastic ramblings about some video game tournament he was hosting this weekend. Right now, all he wanted to do was go home and sleep off the headache that was still bothering him. There was still two hours left in the school day, and it seemed like the clock was mocking him. _‘At least the library is quiet,’_ he thought.

“There you are! I’ve been looking all over for you!” Rachel said, as she pulled out the chair across from him and took a seat.

_‘So much for quiet._ ’ He rolled his eyes before he responded to her. “I told you I was going to the library during Study Hall. I have too much work to catch up on and I don’t know how much I’m going to be able to do at home this weekend with all the distractions there.” Kurt then scrunched up his face in confusion. “Why were you looking for me anyway?”

“I need you to come over to my house after school. I need my best gay to help me eat way too much ice cream and watch musicals with me. Please, Kurt? You’re the only one that understands my misery,” she whined.

“Did you get into another fight with Finn again?”

“Yes. I told him that I made plans for us to go to that new restaurant in Dayton. You know, the one with the live bands? I told him to pick me up at 6 pm sharp. You know what he said? He said he couldn’t make it; that he already had plans with _the guys_ tonight. They are going to have some stupid video game thingy. I told him to just tell the boys he couldn’t make it, that way he’d be free to go out with me tonight,” she said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Her eyes went cold, and she gave Kurt a serious look. “He said no! Can you believe that? He told me that he wasn’t gonna bail on them like that. As if video games are more important than me!”

Kurt rubbed his temples – partly to relieve the tension of his headache, and partly to try and erase the irritation of Rachel’s argument. “Rachel… Finn has been planning this tournament _all week_! He’s mentioned it to you several times. Hell, even _I_ mentioned it to you when I was complaining about how annoying all of Finn’s preparations were becoming. Why would you go and make plans for the two of you knowing full-well that he was already doing something? Also, today is Friday. Even if he wasn’t hosting this tournament, he still couldn’t go. You know our family always has dinner together on Friday nights.”

“Maybe he told _you_ about that tournament thing or whatever it is, but he certainly did not tell _me_!” she huffed. “And even if he did, I’m his _girlfriend_. I should take priority over video games! Do you know how hard it was to get reservations at that restaurant? I was extremely lucky that there was a last-minute cancellation and they were able to squeeze us in – which is why I figured your family would just excuse him for the night. But he doesn’t care about that! He doesn’t care about me or my feelings! All he cares about is hanging out with the guys! It’s not right, Kurt!”

“Of course he cares about you!” Kurt said, in his most placating tone. “But you have to look at this from his perspective. He’s been planning this thing all week. Setting up charts with tournament brackets, shopping for snacks and extra gaming equipment, cleaning the house and making sure there is enough seating for everyone… he’s actually put a lot of work into it. Plus, he’s the host; he can’t just not show up to his own house. It’s a little unfair of you to disregard all his effort and ask him _and_ all the other guys to reschedule when they’ve all been looking forward to this since Sunday.”

“Why are you taking his side? You’re supposed to be _my_ best friend, Kurt. And right now, I need my best friend to tell me how insensitive Finn is being, not agreeing with him!” she argued.

“I’m not taking anyone’s side. And I _am_ your best friend. But I’m also _his_ brother.” He heard Rachel groaning at him, so he continued on, “I was just trying to help you understand Finn’s point-of-view. But I also know how much you wanted to try out that restaurant too. So, I will meet you at your locker after last-bell; as long as we can stop and get some _real_ ice cream on the way to your house ‘cause I refuse to eat that vegan crap you keep in your freezer.”

Rachel jumped out of her seat and across the table to give Kurt a hug. She thanked him and told him he could have all the horrible dairy products he wanted.

\---

Kurt met Rachel at her locker as promised before walking out to his car to head to her house. They stopped at a local convenience store where Kurt bought a pint of Chocolate Fudge Swirl ice cream. When they got to her house, she grabbed her own vegan ice cream out of the freezer and spoons for both of them then they headed upstairs to her bedroom. Rachel texted her dads and gave them her dinner reservations, then she vented to Kurt some more about Finn’s blatant disregard for her feelings before popping a movie into the DVD player.

They were about 10 minutes into their second musical when Kurt decided he needed an escape. He still had a headache, and Rachel singing along loudly to every song wasn’t helping. “Rachel, I’m just gonna grab some water. I’ll be right back,” he whispered, as he got up to leave her room taking his half-eaten container of ice cream with him.

He walked down the stairs into the kitchen and placed the ice cream in the freezer. As he was grabbing a bottle of water out of the refrigerator, a male voice he didn’t recognize spoke to him. “Can I help you with something?”

Kurt jumped backwards clutching his hand to his heart. “Oh my god!” He searched the room for the source of the voice that startled him and saw a slightly familiar boy with dark hair taking a seat at the kitchen island while giving Kurt a pointed look. “You’re Blaine, right?” Kurt questioned.

“I am. And you are…?”

“Kurt. Kurt Hummel.”

“Well, Kurt Hummel, may I ask what you are doing in my kitchen?” Blaine asked, with a smirk.

“Hiding from Rachel,” he answered, as he popped open the bottle of painkillers he just took from the cabinet above the sink. He shook out 2 pills into his palm and put the bottle back into its cabinet. He swallowed the pills and chased it down with the water he grabbed. “She got into another stupid fight with Finn today. So, she dragged me here for a pity party.” Kurt slid into the seat opposite of Blaine and rubbed at his eyes with his palms.

Blaine nodded then asked, “Her boyfriend? Or have they broken up again?”

“They are still together. For now.” Kurt sighed.

“What was the fight about this time? Anything I should worry about?”

“No. Rachel made plans for the two of them to go out tonight even though Finn already had plans with some of the guys from Glee Club for a video game tournament. She demanded that he cancel on them – even though he’s hosting it – so that he’d be free to go out with her, but he refused. So, she threw a fit. Now she’s upstairs whining about how insensitive he is, and how he doesn’t love her anymore.”

“Wow. Was there some type of misunderstanding on when they were going out or when the tournament was? I know she complains that Finn isn’t the best at communicating and he forgets things easily.”

“Not that I’m aware of. Rachel only made the reservations last night and didn’t tell Finn about them until this afternoon. And Finn has been talking about this tournament all week. She _claims_ that he never told her about it. But even if that’s true, I know for a fact that _I_ did. She said it shouldn’t matter if she knew about it or not because she’s his girlfriend and therefore is more important than some stupid video games. According to her, his refusal to cancel is proof that he doesn’t care about her feelings and that he doesn’t love her nearly as much as she loves him,” Kurt explained.

“I guess I can sort of see where she’s coming from. Not that I agree with her or anything,” he added quickly. “I think she’s definitely overreacting to the situation.”

“Tell me about it! I just hate getting stuck in the middle _all the time_.”

“I take it you’re close with Finn too?” Blaine checked.

“He’s my brother.”

“Oh!” Blaine’s eyebrows rose to his hairline. “Huh, Rachel never mentioned that Finn had a brother.”

Kurt chuckled. “Yes, well, she never mentioned to Finn that _she_ had a brother either, so that’s not _too_ surprising.”

“What? She’s never mentioned me to Finn? Really? Are you sure?” Blaine questioned; shock evident on his face.

“Positive. When you came into Glee rehearsal to pick her up a couple of weeks ago, Finn asked who you were once you left. I let him know you were her brother and he acted like I just told him the Pope was an Atheist. He had _no_ clue you even existed.”

“But you knew? She’s talked to you about me?”

“Yes and no. And only because I asked.” He saw Blaine’s face contort in confusion. “I noticed pictures of you all over the house and became curious. Then one day, I heard your dads mention to Rachel that you were a finalist in some competition or something, so I asked her about you,” Kurt clarified. “And the only information she seemed willing to share was your name and that you’re her brother.”

“She’s really never mentioned me before?” he asked, sadly.

“I wouldn’t take it personally. I’m sure she didn’t mean anything by it. You know how self-absorbed she can get. Her favorite thing to talk about is herself.”

“I guess,” Blaine said, rolling his eyes. “But that doesn’t explain why I’ve never heard about _you_ before. She tells me about _all_ her friends, and you’re apparently a close friend of hers. And she has told me pretty much everything else concerning Finn. …I could have _sworn_ she told me he was an only child.”

“Well,” he began, “when she first started dating Finn, he was. His mom married my dad last year. So, technically, we’re stepbrothers. But we’ve grown quite close during our time as a family that we sort of dropped the ‘step’ title.” He was silent for a second before adding, “To be honest, it wasn’t until Finn and I became brothers that I even learned to _tolerate_ Rachel. We used to be frenemies. Just having her at my house all the time allowed me to get to know her better. And I’m glad that I did because now she’s my best friend.”

The two of them sat in silence for a moment when Kurt spoke up again. “So, what brings you home this weekend? I thought you usually stayed at school because of all the clubs you’re in?” he asked.

“I do. However, my track practice tomorrow got canceled; and Monday is a Teacher Qualification Survey Day – which means no school. So, I decided to take advantage of my 3-day weekend at home.”

“Teacher Qualification Survey Day? What’s that?”

“At my school they do a bi-annual survey of all the teachers’ qualifications by giving them exams, to test their knowledge of the subjects they teach. The school board just wants to make sure they have the highest quality of teachers so they can attest that the students are receiving the best possible education that they can get,” Blaine explained.

“Gosh. I wish they’d do that at McKinley,” Kurt lamented. “Then maybe I wouldn’t have to keep correcting my French teacher on proper pronunciation. I swear, I could do a better job teaching that class than she does!”

Blaine laughed lightly. “I’m pretty sure _that_ is the exact reason for these tests.”

Kurt nodded in agreement then sighed loudly. “I better get back upstairs before Rachel sends out a search party. It was nice to finally meet you, Blaine.” He offered his hand to shake.

“It was nice meeting you too, Kurt.” He accepted the offered hand before Kurt headed toward the stairs.

When Kurt reached the door to the kitchen, he turned back and asked, “You’re not a vegan by any chance are you?”

“Nope. I’m _definitely_ a meat-eater,” he answered, with a playful smile.

Kurt blinked at him and cleared his throat. “Uh, well, in that case, there’s half a pint of Chocolate Fudge Swirl ice cream in the freezer. I couldn’t finish it all and don’t feel like taking it home with me. I know Rachel won’t touch it since it’s not vegan-friendly, so you’re welcome to the rest of it if you want it,” he replied.

Blaine’s eyes grew wide. “Ice cream made with real dairy products? You are my new hero! I could _kiss_ you right now!”

Kurt stood frozen in shock. His memory was being bombarded with images from last week. The empty locker room, the hungry look in his bully’s eyes, the feel of rough hands on his face, and chapped lips pressed against his own. Kurt’s eyes were wide and frightened, and his breathing had become shallow.

Blaine could feel the panic rolling off Kurt in waves and hurriedly tried to fix the situation. “Relax, Kurt, it’s just an expression! I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I’m sorry. I say things like that to my friends all the time. I guess I just forgot that you don’t actually know me. I’m _really_ sorry if I upset or offended you. That wasn’t my intent at all!” he rushed out the words in one breath.

At the sound of Blaine’s voice babbling apologies, Kurt refocused his attention and slowly started to calm down. “No!” Kurt shouted. He shook his head to clear away the images and tried speaking again in a more subdued voice. “I mean… No; it’s not your fault. Really,” he told Blaine. “I’m okay. I just…” He opened and closed his mouth several times trying to finish that sentence before shaking his head again, still trying to clear it of the images that continued to haunt him. He was wondering how to explain his reaction when he heard Rachel calling to him from upstairs.

“Kurt, your phone’s ringing!”

“Sorry.” He gave Blaine an apologetic smile and fled upstairs.

\---

“I thought you were just getting some water. What took so long?” Rachel asked, as she handed over his phone which had just lit up with a voicemail notification.

“Oh, I was, uh, talking to Blaine,” he said, distractedly, as he checked his voicemail to see who had called him. Once he listened to his message, he turned back to Rachel. “That was my dad. I have to head home. I forgot we’re having an early Friday Night Dinner because of Finn’s tournament. Is something wrong?” he asked, when he noticed her stunned expression.

“Blaine? As in, my _brother_ , Blaine?”

Kurt started collecting his belongings together, getting ready to leave. “Yeah. He doesn’t have school on Monday, so he came home for the weekend.” He slung his bag over his shoulder and headed towards the stairs with Rachel following close behind. They had just reached the entryway of the Berry household when Kurt’s phone rang again. “Hello?” he answered, as he grabbed his jacket from the coat hook next to the door. “Yes, Dad, I got your message. I’m leaving Rachel’s now. I’ll see you in a few minutes. Bye.” He hung up and shoved his phone into his pocket. “I gotta run. Call me later, Rach.” Just before he stepped outside, he glanced over his shoulder and saw Blaine walking up behind Rachel. “Enjoy your ice cream, Blaine,” he called out in a teasing tone.

~*~

Once Kurt left, Rachel gave her brother a tight hug. “Daddy and Papa didn’t tell me you were coming home this weekend! If I had known I would have let Kurt off the hook for our little commiseration get together,” she told him.

Blaine smiled at his sister. “It was a last-minute decision. My practice for tomorrow got canceled, and since I don’t have any classes on Monday, I thought I’d surprise everyone and come home. Though I have to say, I’m kinda glad that you didn’t know I was coming home. I finally got to meet one of your McKinley friends. Kurt seems really nice. He isn’t, by any chance, gay? Is he?”

Rachel rolled her eyes. “Sorry to burst your bubble, little brother, but Kurt is very, very straight,” she lied. “You should know better than to make snap judgments and stereotype people like that! Just because he has a slightly higher voice and dresses well, doesn’t mean he plays for your team!”

“I guess that explains why he freaked out when I tried flirting with him,” he reasoned.

“You _flirted_ with him!? I can’t believe you would do that!”

“Rachel, he’s gorgeous! Of course I’m gonna flirt with him! But, fine, I get it, he’s off-limits.” Blaine eyed her for a moment, his face scrunched up in confusion. “Your boyfriend is okay with you hanging out all alone with his brother? He doesn’t get suspicious of the two of you spending time together?”

“Finn trusts me! He knows that I love him and would never cheat on him. Besides, Kurt is a little, shall we say, _shallow_ , when it comes to the girls he likes.” Blaine gave her a questioning look. “Basically, he’s only into blondes with big boobs. And since I don’t fall into either of those categories, Finn knows I’m safe from his advances,” she clarified. “Also, just because Kurt’s willing to listen to me vent, doesn’t mean he’s someone that _I_ would ever consider dating. He has way too many bad habits that I could not possibly overlook. Not to mention, Kurt is not even _that_ good looking.”

“Okay, if you say so, Rach,” Blaine said, sarcastically. Before Rachel could interject, he quickly changed topics. “So, about those dinner reservations you made; if you still need someone to accompany you, I’m free.”

“I already told Daddy and Papa to go in my place. But I wouldn’t be opposed to us sharing some takeout. I’ll even let you pay for it,” Rachel told him with a cheeky grin and a wink.

~*~

The following Monday, Kurt was meeting Rachel in the choir room after school to help her rehearse her song for Glee Club this week. After they had run through the song a few dozen times, Rachel proclaimed it perfect. As she was packing up her things, Kurt realized she never told him about her weekend with Blaine.

“So, how was it having your brother home all weekend? Did you guys do anything fun?” he asked.

“To be honest, I barely even noticed he was home. He spent most of the weekend locked in his room on the phone with his girlfriend, Rina,” she told him.

“Rina? That’s an odd name, isn’t it?”

Rachel thought for a second before answering. “It’s short for, like, Katrina, or something. But, yeah, they’ve been together for, like, _ever;_ even longer than Finn and I. I wouldn’t be surprised if he asks her to marry him right after graduation. They’re _so_ in love.”

“Don’t you think it’s a little peculiar for him to drive all the way home to be with his family, only to hide in his room talking to his girlfriend? Why bother coming home at all?” Kurt asked.

She rolled her eyes and sighed. “You’re only asking that because you’ve never been in love before. If you had, you’d understand. And it’s not like he never saw any of us. He came out of his room at mealtimes; even helped our dads cook a few of them. So the trip home included _some_ family time.”

“I guess.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know, I guess I just thought you and your dads would take advantage of him being there and go do something fun. I mean, I know you guys just saw him at that wedding you were at a few weeks ago, but it’s not the same.” Kurt looked at the clock and sighed. “Anyway…I’m gonna head over to the Lima Bean and grab a coffee, wanna come?” he asked.

“Oh, no thank you. Finn’s football practice is almost over. I’m going to get a ride home with him, so he can apologize for blowing me off on Friday. But I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said, as she walked out the door towards the locker rooms.

He waved at her. “Bye, Rach!”

\---

Kurt was sitting at his favorite table at the Lima Bean, immersed in his History textbook when he noticed someone sit down in the chair across from him. He slowly lifted his head and repressed a smile when he recognized Blaine in front of him.

“Hey,” Blaine spoke tentatively. “Um, I hope you don’t mind me sitting here. I was actually just about to leave when I saw you. I thought I’d take the opportunity to apologize to you again for what I said on Friday. I honestly didn’t mean to freak you out like that. I am really sorry about –”

Kurt stopped Blaine’s rambling apology by holding up a hand to cut him off. “It’s okay, Blaine. Honestly, you didn’t do anything wrong. I just…” He let out a breath. “I don’t think I can properly explain what happened to me; why I reacted like that. But I can tell you this: it _wasn’t_ your fault. So, please, don’t apologize,” he said, calmly.

Blaine let out a small sigh of relief. He took in Kurt’s expression and bit his lip. “Are you sure? Because I still feel like it’s my fault you almost had a panic attack. I felt – and actually still feel – awful about the whole thing.”

“Please don’t. I don’t want you feeling guilty over something you didn’t do. _Trust me_ ; you are not to blame here. Okay?” Kurt pleaded, giving Blaine his best reassuring smile.

Blaine nodded. “Okay.” He took a deep breath. “Well, I gotta get back to my dorm. Thank you. For, um, forgiving me. I’ll, uh, I’ll let you get back to your studying now. Maybe I’ll see you around sometime?” Blaine asked.

“Yeah. Maybe. Drive safe.” Kurt smiled and waved as Blaine got up and walked out to the parking lot.

~*~

Blaine arrived back at his dorm room and was greeted by his roommate, Jeff. “Hey, man. How was your weekend?”

A slow smile appeared on Blaine’s face. “It was… interesting,” he responded, before turning around to unpack his duffle bag.

“Interesting? Interesting how?” Jeff perked up, seemingly more attentive to their conversation.

“I spent most of it with my sister. She got into a stupid argument with her boyfriend on Friday, so she was sort of avoiding him. Therefore, I became her distraction. We hung out all weekend and went to a bunch of different places – saw a few community theater productions, went to the movies, played bumper bowling. It was a lot of fun actually. I spent some time with my dads too. We played the piano, and cooked dinner together; Rachel and I even put on a concert for them in our basement – which they loved of course. I really enjoyed seeing them all again,” Blaine replied.

“When you said ‘interesting’, I thought you meant something out of the ordinary happened. That sounds like your typical weekend home to me.”

“Well…” Blaine dragged out the word with a teasing grin. “I _may_ have met a guy when I went home.”

“Now we’re getting somewhere!” Jeff cheered. “Blaine, that’s awesome. You _never_ crush on guys; well, non-celebrity guys that is. Come on, tell me about him.”

“Unfortunately, I don’t know too much about him. Our interaction was cut short by his dad calling him and asking him to come home. But I do know that he is smart, compassionate, able to get along well with my sister – which trust me, is not an easy thing to accomplish – he’s polite, has an incredible fashion sense, really beautiful eyes, and is absolutely, positively, drop-dead gorgeous!” Blaine sighed and collapsed onto his bed.

“Aww, Blainey! That’s great!” Jeff looked over at his roommate. “So, why do you look so sad? Does this guy already have a boyfriend or something?”

“Nope. No boyfriend. Worse. He’s straight,” he replied, sounding melancholy.

“Oh, Blaine! I am so sorry! That sucks, dude.”

“Tell me about it. But it’s okay. It’ll probably be months before I ever see him again – _if_ I ever see him again – which gives me plenty of time to get over him. But the good thing about this, is that it gave me an idea for my Sectionals solo at least – as long as the council approves it, that is.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: minimal usage of homophobic slurs

The next day, Mr. Schuester walked into the choir room gripping a white envelope, with a wide smile on his face. “Alright everyone, listen up!” he addressed the group of students, which had all arrived just moments ago. “As you all know, Sectionals is two weeks from this Saturday. Today, I received the list of schools we will be competing against. Can I get a drum roll please, Finn?” he asked, as he held up the envelope. Finn stepped over to the drum set, giving the drum roll while Mr. Schuester tore open the envelope. “From Cardinal Spellman High School in Covington, Ohio: the Holy Notes! And from Dalton Academy in Westerville, Ohio: the Warblers! Now, from the information here it says that Cardinal Spellman is a Catholic school whose show choir performs ‘spiritual music’; and Dalton Academy is an all-boys prep school that performs a capella.”

“There has to be some mistake!” Rachel exclaimed. “We can’t compete against an a capella choir! How are the judges supposed to rate us fairly when we have completely different styles? No, this won’t do. I’ll be contacting the Ohio State Show Choir Board at once and _demanding_ they re-work the line-up!”

Everyone in the room was used to Rachel’s outburst, but this one was odd even for her. Kurt gauged her cautiously. “What has gotten into you, Rachel? It’s not like you to back down from a challenge; especially one involving singing.”

Mr. Schuester interrupted. “Rachel, all high school show choirs are evaluated equally. There aren’t different categories or divisions based on school-type or performance style. So contacting the Board is pointless, and a waste of not only your time, but theirs as well. And we don’t want to start any trouble or get on their bad side. The last thing we need is to get disqualified before we even get a chance to perform. Okay?” Rachel just crossed her arms over her chest and huffed in response.

He turned his attention to the rest of the class. “Now, I figured before we jump into our rehearsals, we could have a little fun first. Do a little something to get you all into the competition spirit! What do you say we stage our own competition? Boys against Girls! Here are the rules: for this competition, you will all be doing mash-ups. One of the mash-up songs must be a song originally performed by a male artist, the other, a female artist. Each group will be responsible for their own costumes and choreography. You will each perform your number at the end of the week in front of our special guest judges, Ms. Pillsbury and Coach Beiste. Break up into your groups and start brainstorming!”

Kurt walked over to join the girls but was stopped by his teacher. “Kurt, boys are over there.” He pointed to the other side of the room.

\---

The brainstorming session with the boys was not going how Kurt had hoped. They weren’t taking any of his song suggestions seriously. They told him they wanted their performance to rock, and they couldn’t do that with a sappy ballad-type song. They decided they were going to go with a female artist that had a lower vocal range and sang guitar-driven songs; someone like Alanis Morissette, Melissa Etheridge, or Tracy Chapman. His brother even told him: _‘no offense, but it will sound better if one of us sings the lead on that.’_

The boys wouldn’t even pretend to listen to Kurt’s costume ideas, dismissing them almost as soon as he opened his mouth. They argued that they didn’t want to dress in sequined leotards with feather boas; even though that wasn’t even remotely what he was going to say. He was getting so frustrated by the whole thing. “I don’t see a point to my being here if I’m not even allowed to help with this damn mash-up!” Kurt snapped.

“Jeez, Hummel! You wanna help us? Fine. Why don’t you make yourself useful and go spy on those prep school boys for us? The Garglers or whatever they’re called? You know the only reason Berry freaked out is ‘cause she’s heard of them before; which means they must be good. So why don’t you do us all a favor and see what you can find out about them.” Puck said, agitated.

All of the rest of the boys seemed to agree with Puck and were trying to convince Kurt to go spy. They each had their own reasons for Kurt to spy on the Warblers, and they continued to argue with him until the rehearsal ended. Kurt was so annoyed he practically ran to his car once they were told they could leave for the day.

Once Kurt got home, he could still hear the voices of the guys telling him that he needed to gather intel on the Warblers echoing through his head. Cursing himself for his curiosity, he booted up his laptop and pulled up Dalton’s website. There wasn’t much information about the Warblers on there. Just that it was a student-run organization, and that the group performs a capella. There weren’t even any pictures or videos for him to go by. One thing that did pique Kurt’s interest in the school was Dalton’s strictly enforced anti-bullying policy and all of the academic achievements that they boasted about on their site. _‘A school that actually challenges its students academically and is_ safe _? Sounds like a fantasy.’_ He sighed and closed the website, attempting to put it out of his mind.

\---

Kurt had been shoved into lockers more times than he could count today, and it was barely even lunchtime. It seemed that his biggest tormentor, David Karofsky, had been out to get him worse than usual this morning. Whenever Karofsky’s friends weren’t around, he would leer at Kurt or caress Kurt’s arm as he walked past him. When Karofsky’s friends were around, he was insulting Kurt, calling him horrible names, and violently shoving him into the nearest wall or locker bank, laughing at Kurt as he walked away. As Kurt was leaving his French class to head to lunch, he was hit in the face with a slushie. He wiped the colorful, flavored ice out of his eyes, and stormed over to his locker. He grabbed his bag with his hair-care products and emergency change of clothing then headed into the nearest bathroom to clean up. Once he decided he looked human again, he stashed his bag back into his locker and proceeded to the cafeteria to finish out the remainder of the lunch period.

He barely sat down to eat when Puck, Finn, and Sam cornered him. They brought up the idea of spying on the Warblers again, ganging up on Kurt. With everything that had happened earlier in the day, Kurt’s resolve broke. Without a word, he quickly stood up, dumped his half-eaten lunch, grabbed his things from his locker, and walked out to the parking lot.

\---

As Kurt approached the school, he was already beginning to regret his decision to come. He was greeted by a secretary as soon as he stepped into the building and hurried to come up with a reason for his presence. He told her that he was new in town and was considering attending Dalton. He apologized for not having made an appointment first but asked if he would be allowed to tour the campus anyway. The secretary just smiled at him, gave him a visitor’s badge, and told him it wouldn’t be a problem.

He turned to walk away when the secretary spoke up again. “Oh! You should stop by the Senior Commons on the first floor in about 20 minutes – just before the last bell. Our show choir, the Warblers, is putting on a small, informal concert. It might help you in your decision on attending here,” she told him, politely. He kindly thanked her and started looking around the school.

Kurt was stunned by the sheer size and beauty of the school. He had completely lost track of time until the hallways started filling with uniformed boys all seemingly headed in the same direction. He figured they must be going to see the Warblers concert the secretary told him about and followed them, hoping he wouldn’t get lost.

He arrived at the correct place just as they had started singing. There were so many students that came to watch, he couldn’t see the group at all. But he could hear them. And they sounded amazing. Their ‘small concert’, as the secretary had worded it, was only one song. When it was over, Kurt stood there in the doorway while most of the on-lookers cleared out of the room and went back to whatever they had been previously doing. He watched as some of the spectators went up to the performers to congratulate them, or praise their performance, or give them shoulder-pats. He was thinking how different Dalton was from McKinley; about how the kids at McKinley would be calling them losers, booing them, or even throwing things at them. He was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a voice ask, “Who’s the new kid?”

Kurt looked up to see a tall, blond boy pointing in his direction. The boy standing next to him turned to see who his friend was referring to; his eyes widened in surprise when they landed on Kurt. “Kurt?”

Kurt’s throat was suddenly very dry, and he was finding it hard to speak. “B-Blaine,” he stuttered.

Blaine walked over to him, the blond boy following close behind. “Kurt, what are you doing here?” he asked, with a smile on his face.

Before he could respond the blond boy spoke up. “Blaine, you know this guy?” he asked, eyeing Kurt, cautiously.

“It’s okay, Jeff. He’s a friend of my sister,” Blaine answered. Jeff was apparently appeased by that answer and nodded to Blaine before rejoining the rest of the boys.

He turned his attention back to Kurt, smiling. “What’s going on?” he asked. Blaine’s expression then turned anxious. “Wait a minute. Is Rachel okay? Did something happen to her? Is that why you’re here?” he asked with a hint of panic in his voice.

“Rachel’s fine,” Kurt answered, quickly. “She doesn’t even know I’m here,” he added, quietly.

“Okay.” Blaine breathed out a small sigh of relief. “So, why are you here then?” he asked again, curiously.

“I, um… I…” He swallowed loudly. “I should go. I shouldn’t even be here. I… I need to go.” Kurt quickly turned and ran out of the room.

“Kurt! Wait up!” Blaine called after him. Kurt was halfway down the hall when he realized he didn’t know which direction the exit was in. He slowed down and allowed Blaine to catch up to him.

“Look, this was a mistake. I shouldn’t have come here. I’m sorry. If you could just point me to the proper exit I’ll get out of your hair,” Kurt said, on the verge of tears, before Blaine had a chance to speak.

“Kurt, are you alright?” Kurt didn’t verbally answer, just shook his head. “What’s wrong?” Blaine asked.

When Kurt didn’t answer him, Blaine tried another approach. “Why don’t we go sit down in the school café, and I’ll buy you a coffee. Come on, it’s just over there.” He pointed to a room down the hall. Kurt nodded his head and followed Blaine to the room he just pointed at.

After they got their coffees and sat down, Blaine tried talking to Kurt again. “Kurt, what’s going on? You said Rachel doesn’t know you’re here, so what brought you to Dalton?”

“Blaine, I am so sorry. Honestly. I had no clue that you were even a student here, let alone a member of the Warblers. Rachel’s protests actually make a little bit of sense now, but I still shouldn’t have let the guys talk me into coming here. I am really sorry,” Kurt babbled, quickly.

“Calm down, it’s okay,” Blaine soothed. “Although, I’m still confused about what’s going on. What was Rachel protesting about? And why did the guys want you to come here?” he asked.

Kurt looked at him curiously, examining his face, searching for clues. “Oh my god. You don’t know yet,” he said, quietly.

“I’m afraid not. I wouldn’t be asking otherwise.”

“New Directions got their competition line-up for Sectionals yesterday. We’re competing against the Warblers.” Blaine gasped but otherwise remained silent. “Rachel made a _huge_ fuss over contacting the Ohio State Show Choir Board so we wouldn’t have to face-off against Dalton. But Mr. Schuester shot her down. The boys got curious about her reaction and somehow talked me into coming here to spy on you; to find out what got Rachel so freaked,” Kurt explained.

“Wow. Well, first, before you go apologizing again, let me just say: there is nothing to be sorry for. The song we did today is not part of our Sectionals routine. And Rachel has actually seen us perform that same number before as well, so there’s nothing to worry about there. We were just doing an old routine to help us loosen up.” Kurt nodded and breathed a small sigh of relief, before Blaine continued, “Secondly, is that the only thing bothering you? That you were worried about getting caught spying? Because, it just seems like you’re upset about something else right now – like there’s something _more_ on your mind. I just want to make sure you’re okay before I send you back home.”

“Today has just been the day from hell. And I’m just not sure how much more I can take,” he said, brokenly. “All my friends are so caught up in their own dramas and issues that they don’t even notice how close I am to breaking. You’re the only person to actually notice that something was wrong. And you hardly even know me!”

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Blaine asked, sincerely.

Kurt gave a watery laugh. “Not unless you can convince all the homophobes at my school – including the self-hating, closeted Neanderthal – to leave me alone once and for all.”

Blaine gave him a confused look. “Can I ask you a really stupid question?” he asked, hesitantly. At Kurt’s nod, he continued. “Why would there be homophobes harassing you?”

“You’re right, that is a really stupid question. Simple answer, which I thought would be obvious by now, I’m gay,” Kurt told him.

Blaine’s eyes widened at that. “You are? Does Rachel know?”

“Yes and yes. You seem genuinely shocked by this. Normally people just assume and don’t even bother asking if they’re right. I mean, the whole school was calling me a fag before I even officially came out,” Kurt said, somewhat bitterly.

“I hate judging and stereotyping people like that. I make it a point never to assume. But the reason I’m surprised is because after I first met you, I _specifically_ asked Rachel if you were gay. She assured me that you were indeed very straight and therefore did not play on my team.”

“Why would – wait. _Your_ team? You mean…?” he left the question hanging.

“Yup. I’m 100%, capital G, gay.” Blaine smirked.

Kurt looked puzzled. “Well then, I guess you’re not the only one Rachel lied to.”

“She told you I was straight!?” he said, shocked. “Why? I don’t understand. Rachel knows I’m gay. She was the first person I came out to; and that was 4 years ago! It makes no sense whatsoever that Rachel would lie to either one of us about each other’s sexuality. But I know Rachel, and she never does anything without a reason. Unfortunately, right now, I have no idea what that reason is.”

Kurt chuckled. “So I guess that means you aren’t so in love that you’re planning on asking your girlfriend, Rina, to marry you after graduation?”

Blaine’s face darkened. He was literally shaking with silent anger. “She told you that Rina was my _girlfriend_? I think I might actually kill my sister. I can’t believe she would do that!” he spat.

“Blaine?” Kurt asked, cautiously. “Are you alright? Did I say something wrong?” he asked, a little scared.

Blaine took in Kurt’s frightened expression and calmed down quickly. “I’m sorry, Kurt. I didn’t mean to explode like that. I wasn’t upset with you at all. Um, Rina is _not_ my girlfriend, but she is _extremely_ special to me. And for Rachel to use her name like that… she should know better is all. Anyway, I think our discussion got a little side-tracked. I was asking if I can help you out in any way with your problems at school.”

Kurt smiled sadly. “Even when she’s not here, Rachel has a way of making a conversation all about her,” he joked. He let out a long, slow breath. “I appreciate the offer, but honestly, the school board refuses to do anything about the bullying, so I doubt there is anything you could do to help.”

“Well, I’m always here if you need to talk,” Blaine told him. “I came out in 8th grade and went through my own fair share of bullying before coming here. In fact, that bullying was the whole reason I enrolled here at Dalton instead of going to McKinley with Rachel. So, maybe having a friendly ear that can actually relate on some level will help a little. Sure, it won’t make the problem go away, but it usually helps to know that you’re not alone,” he replied, earnestly. “Do you want to tell me about what happened today? Why today was hell for you? I mean, you don’t have to, but if you want to talk about it, I’m willing to listen.”

“Thanks. That actually means a lot to me. But right now, it’s just a little too fresh. I don’t think I can talk about it just yet.”

“That’s okay. Whenever you’re ready, you know where to find me. Or, um, I could maybe give you my phone number and you could call me?” Blaine asked, shyly. “I’m told I’m a really good listener.”

“I think I’d like that.” Kurt smiled. He took out his phone and paused before handing it to Blaine. He bit his lip nervously. “You’re not gonna tell Rachel I was here, are you? I mean, I know you’re upset at her about the whole girlfriend thing, but if she found out that I came here to spy, she’d go into panic mode. She would be so afraid of New Directions getting disqualified that she’d throw a fit and kill me. It wouldn’t be pretty. And I’d like to live long enough to graduate high school, if I could,” Kurt pleaded.

“You have my word. I’ll hold off on my interrogation until _after_ Sectionals. Until then, she’ll never even know you stepped foot in this school; not from me anyway,” Blaine told him.

Blaine added his contact information into Kurt’s phone, and sent himself a text so he would have Kurt’s number as well. He was about to hand the phone back when he gasped. “Oh my god! Is that the time? I am so late for my meeting. I’m sorry, Kurt. I really have to go now. I’ll show you out.” He returned Kurt’s phone to him and stood up quickly.

Kurt followed him up the stairs and through a couple of different hallways, then Blaine pointed out the front exit, before disappearing around a corner.

~*~

Blaine’s Debate Club meeting ended shortly after he arrived. He stayed a little late to speak to the club moderator, apologize for his tardiness, and catch up on what he missed. He made his way back to his dorm room to find his best friend, Trent, and his roommate, Jeff, waiting for him.

“Hey guys, what’s up? Blaine greeted them.

“Not much. We were just trying to figure out the whole situation surrounding your mystery guest earlier,” Trent replied.

“You mean Kurt?” he questioned.

“Yeah, he just bolted from the room and you went running after him,” Jeff said, his tone of voice clearly asking for an explanation.

Blaine sighed. “He was just a little… scared? Or maybe embarrassed? I’m not really sure. I just wanted to make sure that he was okay. I caught up to him though and we talked it out.”

“What was the issue?” Trent asked, confused.

“It’s actually sort of personal. I don’t think he’d be okay with me talking about it.”

“But everything is okay, right? No serious problems or anything like that?” Jeff wondered.

“Everything’s fine,” he told them.

\---

The three boys talked for a few more minutes and then went to grab dinner. They returned to Blaine and Jeff’s room to study and do some homework. About an hour later Blaine’s phone started to ring.

Blaine answered without looking at the caller ID. “Hello?”

“Hey, Blaine, it’s Kurt. Are you busy right now?”

Blaine sat up quickly, abandoning his textbook. “Kurt, hey, no, I’m not busy. What’s up?” he asked, softly. He could see Jeff and Trent giving each other curious glances from the corner of his eye but chose to ignore them so he could focus on Kurt’s voice. He could hear Kurt sniffle on the other end of the phone. “You almost sound like you’ve been crying. Is everything okay?” Blaine asked him.

Kurt sniffled again. “I’m not so sure anymore. Are you still willing to let me vent all over you?” he tried to joke.

“Yes, of course I am. What happened?” Blaine questioned, somewhat uneasy.

“I’d rather talk it over face-to-face, if possible. Would you be willing to meet me after Glee Club tomorrow? Maybe grab a coffee or something?”

“Yeah, sure, that sounds good. I know this really quiet coffee shop that’s about halfway between each of our schools. I go there to meet up with Rachel all the time. I’ll text you the name and address and meet you there after practice, okay?”

“Perfect. Thanks, Blaine. See you tomorrow,” Kurt said.

“Okay. And Kurt?” Kurt made a small noise of acknowledgment. “Take care of yourself. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Blaine hung up his phone, texted Kurt the address of the coffee shop, and tried unsuccessfully to concentrate on his homework again.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: mentions of sexual assault & brief mentions of violence/bullying/physical assault

Blaine was sitting on the couch of the Senior Commons at Dalton, impatiently waiting for Warbler rehearsal to begin. He had been on edge all day, anticipating his coffee date with Kurt. _‘Not a date, a meeting,’_ he reminded himself. He had no idea what Kurt wanted to talk about. He just hoped that Kurt was okay.

The meeting was called to order and Blaine was thankful for the distraction. One of the council members, Wes, told the group that he had an important announcement.

“We received our line-up for Sectionals today,” Wes began. “Our competitors this year will be the Cardinal Spellman Holy Notes, and the McKinley High New Directions. Now, we are already familiar with the Holy Notes. The Warblers defeated them at last year’s Sectionals, so we have an idea of what to expect from them. The New Directions are an unknown to us, but they are only a small, public high school, and therefore should not pose much of a challenge.”

Blaine raised his hand and addressed the council. “Council, if I may?” he asked, indicating that he wanted to speak to the group. He received a curt nod, so he continued on, “The New Directions are not a group you want to underestimate. Last year, they took 4th place in _Nationals_. They are incredibly talented and work extremely well under pressure.”

One of the younger boys interrupted him. “If the Warblers have never competed against the New Directions, how do you know so much about them?”

Blaine smirked at him. “Their lead soloist is my sister.”

“We’re competing against Rachel? We might as well just forfeit now!” Trent replied, throwing his hands in the air.

Wes called for order. “Fourth place on the Nationals stage? Well, this changes things. What other information can you give us, to help us prepare for this competition?” he asked.

“Well, I don’t know anything about which songs they are doing or what other singers they plan to feature. I do know that my sister is only one of several incredibly talented performers in their group. Though, with her being their lead, we can assume that she will have at least one solo.

“And just to give an example of how they work under pressure: a few years ago, their _entire_ setlist, as well as their choreography, was stolen and leaked to their competitors. They found out about the leak _during_ the competition – when their competitors each performed numbers from their routine. They had to come up with an entirely new setlist – new songs, _and_ new choreography – _day of_ competition. They had less than an hour to throw together a whole new routine in their greenroom backstage _while_ the competition was going on. Despite all of their last-minute changes, they took home first place.

“As their lead soloist, my sister has had lead vocals on _most_ of their competition numbers. She is a powerhouse soprano; her voice is phenomenal. She’s a natural-born performer. All we can do is make sure that our routine is as polished as possible, and perform to the best of our abilities,” Blaine told them.

Wes addressed the entire room, “If that’s what needs to be done, then let’s bring this conversation to a close and jump back into rehearsal. We should start with Blaine’s solo, since that is the most recent addition to our Sectionals’ setlist, and the one we’ve worked on the least.”

All the boys were in agreement, and quickly began working on tightening up the harmonies for what would become their second song performed at the competition.

\---

Blaine drove straight to the coffee shop that he was meeting Kurt at as soon as he was released from practice. Looking around the shop quickly, he didn’t see any sign of Kurt. He decided to get himself a coffee while he waited. Kurt arrived just as the barista handed Blaine his drink. They promptly greeted each other, then Blaine went to get the two of them a table while Kurt placed his coffee order.

Kurt took his seat across from Blaine, fiddling with his coffee cup, trying to prepare himself for what he wanted to say. “Thank you for meeting with me. I wasn’t really sure who else to talk to,” he began. He took a deep breath. “I guess I should start at the beginning. Do you remember yesterday when I told you about the homophobes at my school, and I said that they included a self-hating, closeted Neanderthal?” he asked.

“Yes; I wanted to ask about that, but our conversation got side-tracked,” Blaine told him.

“He has always harassed me at school – shoving me into lockers, throwing slushies in my face, tossing me into dumpsters, and of course calling me all sorts of names and slurs. He would bully most of the other Glee kids as well, though never _as_ severely. But this year, instead of being his primary target, I became his _only_ target; and the attacks became more frequent.

“I tried talking to some of my friends about it,” Kurt continued, “but it was like they couldn’t grasp what I was saying. All of them just told me _‘Stop being so dramatic’_ or _‘He bullies everyone. We all deal with it, you should too’_. So, I just stopped trying to talk to them about it. Like I said yesterday, they’re all too wrapped up in their own lives to care about mine.

“It was about 2 weeks ago that I found out the hard way why he had changed his tactics. I had been walking down the hall at school – minding my own business – and he just knocks my phone right out of my hand for no reason. After it hit the ground, he stomped on it repeatedly – smashed it to pieces. Then he just looks up at me with a deadpan expression and goes _‘oops’_ …then walked away like nothing happened. I just… I snapped. I chased him down the hall, yelling at him. I caught up to him in the empty locker room. We argued… I honestly thought that he was about to hit me. He didn’t. Instead, he _kissed_ me. Turns out, he’s gay too; and by some cruel twist of fate, he’s attracted to me. When he kissed me, I tried to push him away, but he’s bigger than I am… a lot stronger too; and he was holding onto my face so tightly – I couldn’t get away. When I finally did break free of him, he tried to kiss me again. Somehow, though, I managed to shove him backward. The shove took him by surprise. That’s when he realized that I wasn’t enjoying that kiss as much as he was – that I had been trying to push him away, not pull him closer. Unfortunately, that just made him angry; so he punched the locker next to my head – just _barely_ missing me – then ran out of the room.

“He hates that he exposed himself to me like that; and that I rejected him. He was so petrified that I would out him to the whole school, that the next morning, he threatened to kill me if I ever told anyone what happened,” Kurt confessed.

Blaine was in shock. There were tears threatening to fall from his eyes. “Oh my god! Kurt! I don’t even know what to say right now.” He collected his thoughts for a moment. “What he did was sexual assault. Did you report him at all? He shouldn’t be allowed to get away with that!”

Kurt shook his head sadly. “I tried to report him for the death threat alone, but I was told without proof, it’s just his word against mine. The school board wasn’t going to punish him on the off chance that I was lying to them. And it would be the same situation with the sexual assault allegation. There’s no proof. Only in that instance, I run the risk of him turning the whole situation around on me; claiming that I forced myself on him. And because of the conservative bias of the faculty and school board, they’d believe him…without question. I’d wind up expelled from school and labeled as a predatory gay that forces himself on unsuspecting, innocent straight boys. _No one_ at that school knows that he is gay. And if you try to tell anyone that he is, they’d laugh in your face and call you a liar. Not that I ever would tell anyone. I don’t believe in outing people. You know the expression ‘I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy’? Well, he’s my worst enemy, and I wouldn’t do that to him. Every gay person deserves to be able to come out on their own terms, when they are ready. He’s obviously not ready.”

Blaine shook his head angrily. “God, that is so messed up. Not the part about you refusing to out him; the part where the school board refused to punish him for threatening your life. How can they take a complaint as serious as a death threat and turn it into just your average he-said-she-said disagreement?”

“It’s simple. They don’t think it was a serious threat. I was told that I was most likely taking the threat too seriously, _if_ in fact there was a threat at all. People say things they don’t really mean all the time. Yesterday, you told me you thought you might kill your sister for telling me you had a girlfriend; does that mean I should warn Rachel to be careful around you? No, it means you were upset, and that was just a way to verbalize _how_ upset you were. It was just an expression that had no substance to it. That’s the reason they acted so carelessly toward the situation. Besides the fact that there is no proof it happened, they are just assuming I’m taking it out of context or putting too much significance on it,” Kurt explained.

“I suppose you are right, but god, it’s just so unfair!”

“I know,” Kurt said, sadly. He took a few deep breaths and continued on. “But now that you have a backstory, I can explain yesterday.”

Kurt told Blaine all about everything Karofsky had done yesterday in school that led to him escaping to Dalton – the locker slams, the leering, and the arm caressing. He told him how all of it made him feel, and how his friends inadvertently just made him feel worse.

“Leaving Dalton yesterday, I felt a little better,” Kurt told him. “I was temporarily away from my bully, and the poisonous environment of McKinley. It was a nice reprieve. Plus, it seemed liked I had made a new friend. On the way home though, I stopped at a gas station near my house, and _he_ was there. I didn’t notice him at first, but then I turned around and he was _right there_ , in my face. He started asking me all these questions: where I took off to during lunch, why I wasn’t in school for the rest of the day, if I was avoiding him…things like that. Each question just brought him further and further into my personal space. I was backed up against my car; I had nowhere to go. He pressed himself against me and caressed my cheek. I was so scared. But then a second later he was gone; walking back over to his car, leering at me the entire way. I couldn’t drive away fast enough. As soon as I got home, I ran upstairs and took an extra-hot shower and tried to scrub the feeling of him off of me. After that, I crawled into bed and just kept thinking _‘I don’t know how much more I can take. This has to stop_ ’. I knew I had to tell someone, but I don’t know who to turn to. I don’t want to out him. But I can’t keep feeling afraid all the time. That’s why I called you. I know you can’t actually do anything to make him stop, but maybe you might have some idea of what to do? Or who can help? You’ve dealt with bullies before, right?”

“Kurt.” Blaine let out a shaky breath. “I know you don’t want to out him, but I’m pretty sure you _have_ to. At least tell your dad what’s going on. _Someone_ needs to know. Personally, I’ve dealt with verbal and physical assault as well as destruction of personal property by the homophobes at my middle school when I first came out, but I have never had to deal with sexual harassment or sexual assault. This isn’t something I can relate to through my own experiences. But I do know that it is something you _can’t_ handle on your own.

“When I was having problems with bullies, I got the same comments from faculty that you did. They just shrugged it off like it was my own fault – telling me that I wouldn’t have problems if I wasn’t gay. So, I stayed silent. I stopped telling the teachers and the faculty because I knew they wouldn’t do anything. And I didn’t tell my dads because I didn’t want to be a burden to them – because I thought the situation was hopeless, and I didn’t think they would be able to do anything about it anyway. I didn’t want to dump all of my ‘insignificant’ problems on them and make them regret adopting me.

“But then on the last day of school, I came home with a broken nose and two black eyes. I had no choice _but_ to tell my dads what was going on. Their reaction wasn’t what I thought it’d be. They weren’t upset with me at all. They were heartbroken over finding out that I had been struggling with so many _serious_ issues all on my own. They were only worried about me and my safety. That’s why they enrolled me in Dalton. But if I had told them about the bullying earlier, maybe they could have done _something_ – or at the very least, I could have transferred out of there sooner.

“I know you don’t want to hear this, but your bully…he’s escalating his attacks. The next time he corners you in an empty parking lot – or an empty locker room – he may end up doing a lot worse than just scaring you. You _need_ to be safe. Telling someone what’s happening is the only way to put a stop to it.

“Does your school have any security cameras in the hallways at all?” Blaine wondered. “Can’t you have him suspended or expelled for the damage done to your personal property, or the physical attacks, like the locker slams? What about that gas station? Did they have a camera in their parking lot that might have recorded him cornering you?”

Kurt answered those questions with a blank stare and a shoulder shrug.

“I’m really not sure what to tell you,” Blaine continued. “I don’t know the best course of action here. But your dad might know. Talk to him. Or talk to one of or both of my dads even. Just… promise me you will talk to a responsible adult about this. Please,” he pleaded with him.

Kurt considered everything Blaine had told him. “You’re right. I know you are. I’m still afraid that he’s crazy enough that he might actually follow through with that death threat. But I think, right now, I’m even more afraid of what could happen if I _don’t_ tell anyone. I’ll tell my dad tonight when I get home. Can I ask another favor of you?”

Blaine nodded. “Of course. I’ll do whatever I can to help.”

“Could you not mention anything about this to Rachel?” Kurt asked. “I mean, even though I never mentioned his name, she would know _instantly_ who you were talking about. I love Rachel, but she cannot keep her mouth shut at all. She would only end up making the whole situation worse than it already is – and possibly wind up putting _herself_ in danger as well.”

“Unfortunately, I agree with you on that. So, if you can promise me that you’ll talk to your dad and tell him _everything_ , then I can promise no one, including Rachel, will hear one word about this from me,” Blaine answered with a sincere smile.

“Thank you, Mr. Berry,” Kurt said, gratefully.

“It’s Anderson. And you’re welcome.”

“Pardon?” Kurt raised an eyebrow at him.

“My last name. It’s not Berry. It’s Anderson,” Blaine clarified.

“May I ask why you have a different last name than the entire rest of your family? Or is that too personal?” Kurt asked, puzzled.

“Do you have to head home soon?” Blaine questioned.

“Do you want me to leave?” Kurt asked, worried that he may have overstepped.

“No! No, not at all. I just meant that we’ve been at this coffee shop for quite a while and I think we may be overstaying our welcome here. If you don’t have anywhere else to be, maybe I can explain the whole name thing to you over dinner? There’s a great seafood restaurant right around the corner we could go to.” Blaine bit his lip nervously.

“Oh,” Kurt breathed. “Yeah, that sounds good. I think I’d like that,” he replied, shyly.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: brief mention of implied past child abuse  
> mentions of bigotry, homophobia, antisemitism, & racism

“So, how did you wind up with a different last name?” Kurt asked, once they had been seated in the seafood restaurant that Blaine brought them to.

“Well, when my dads first decided they wanted to become parents, they sought out a surrogate to conceive a child. Rachel was the product of that decision, and they have raised her since birth. They didn’t plan on having – or adopting – any other children; but things don’t always go according to plan. They took me in when I was 7 years old. I had been living with them for a little over a year before the adoption became finalized. Before it did though, I asked my dads if they would allow me to keep my last name. They were very understanding about my reasons and agreed to it,” Blaine explained to him.

“Wait. There are a few things I’m confused about. I thought you and Rachel were biological siblings? I hate to admit this, but you look so much alike! And, if you didn’t start living with them until you were 7, how are there pictures of you and Rachel together as _babies_ and _toddlers_ in your house?”

Blaine laughed lightheartedly. “Rachel and I are not biological siblings, but we _are_ biologically related. She is technically my 2nd cousin. My mom and Hiram were cousins – my mom’s father and Hiram’s mother were brother and sister. And since Hiram is Rachel’s biological father, Rachel and I do share a bloodline. My mom and Hiram were _very_ close; they acted more like siblings than they did cousins. Before I was adopted, I even referred to Hiram and LeRoy as my uncles. Rachel and I would often see one another at each other’s birthday parties, holidays, and other events like that. _That’s_ where those pictures came from.”

Blaine paused, unsure if he wanted to continue. He decided that if Kurt trusted him enough to share his story, then he can grant Kurt that same courtesy. “Unfortunately, my parents died about 2 months before I turned 7. I was put into foster care until my dads were granted temporary legal guardianship of me. I started living with them on my 7th birthday. I asked my dads to keep my surname because I wanted to feel like I still belonged to my biological parents; and to feel like I had a piece of them with me. But I was so grateful to them for taking me in and making me an official member of the family that I started calling them Dad and Papa, like Rachel did. And considering that I had always called my biological father ‘Pop’ or ‘Poppy’, it didn’t feel like I was trying to replace him by using those names for Hiram and LeRoy.”

“I’m so sorry! My mom died when I was 8. That was hard enough for me to deal with. I can’t possibly imagine what it would be like to have lost both of my parents. Thank god you had a loving family willing to take you in!” Kurt exclaimed.

“Trust me, I am thankful for that every day. Especially since before they found me, I had been placed with a foster mother that never should have been allowed to care for a child,” he said.

Kurt gasped. “What happened?”

“Um, let’s just say that the reason I was removed from her care was because I called 911.”

“Oh my god! That’s awful! I’m so glad you are living with Mr. & Mr. Berry now! … Can I ask what you meant by _‘before they found you’_ or is that too personal?” Kurt questioned.

“They were somehow never notified when my parents died. Both of my parents were an only child. My mom’s parents had both passed away before she did; her mom died just the year before, and her dad when she was 12. My father’s parents, on the other hand…” he sighed, shaking his head. “They disowned him shortly after he married my mom. They didn’t like that she was Jewish – or I guess technically half-Jewish since her mother was Christian. Poppy’s parents wanted him to marry a ‘nice Catholic girl’; and even though my mom’s mother was Christian, she wasn’t _Catholic_ , and therefore my mother was not _good enough_ for their son. So when the police informed them what had happened, their response was ‘good riddance’. They wanted nothing to do with me since I was a product of an unsanctioned marriage, and half my DNA was ‘tainted’.

“My grandparents knew Hiram was my mom’s closest living relative – in terms of both physical proximity and emotional closeness. But they never liked Hiram – because of his relationship with LeRoy. They had even vocalized their disapproval of my father forming a close friendship with them when he began dating my mother. So they _purposefully_ didn’t mention Hiram as an alternate next-of-kin to the police, nor did they bother to inform Hiram of my parents’ passing.

“I was only six at the time. I couldn’t tell the police Hiram or LeRoy’s phone numbers or give them their address; I didn’t have that information memorized, nor did I know where to find it. I wasn’t even completely sure about Hiram and LeRoy’s last name. I just knew they were Uncle Hiram and Uncle LeRoy. And because my grandparents told the police that both of my parents were an only child – and that they didn’t know of any other living family members – the police assumed Hiram and LeRoy were just friends of the family or that I made them up or something. That’s why I went into foster care. Supposedly, the social workers were looking into how to find them but…

“Anyway… My mom and Hiram talked on the phone at least once a week, if not more; so Hiram and LeRoy became concerned when they hadn’t heard from my parents in a while and were unable to contact either one of them. They finally drove out to my old house, and the neighbor notified them of my parents’ deaths. Then they went to the city police to see if they could get any information about me. It took a few days for them to track me down. Oddly enough, it was that 911 call I made about my old foster mother that helped them to locate me. And after that, they had a bunch of legal channels that they had to go through before I could go home with them,” Blaine explained.

“I can’t believe your grandparents would do that!” Kurt said. “Disowning your dad because he fell in love with a woman who was Jewish? Celebrating his death, and telling the police to take you away? People like that shouldn’t be allowed to have children.”

“I agree. That’s why I’m glad they didn’t want me. If they’re going to disown my dad because he fell in love with a Jewish woman, what would they do when they found out I was gay, and would never fall in love with a woman at all?”

“I didn’t even think of that!” Kurt gasped. “When you said they disapproved of Hiram’s relationship with LeRoy, I just assumed you meant because LeRoy’s _black_. I didn’t even consider that it was because LeRoy is a _man_. Now I’m _really_ glad you live with the Berrys!”

“Me too.” Blaine smiled at him. “But enough heavy talk for one night, let’s talk about something that’s not emotionally draining for either of us, okay?”

Kurt chuckled. “Yeah, we probably should move onto lighter topics, shouldn’t we?”

They continued their evening with conversations about school, friends, family, music, and hobbies. They realized that they had similar tastes and shared many interests.

Kurt learned that in addition to the Warblers, Blaine was a member of the Debate Team, and Photography Club, as well as the Track Team. While he had fun doing Track and Debate, they were mostly to help fill his college applications. Photography and music were his biggest passions.

Kurt had told Blaine that Glee was his only current school-related extracurricular, but that he was at one time a member of both the football team, as well as the Cheerios, the school’s cheerleading squad, though not at the same time.

Conversation came easily and outlasted both the meal and dessert.

\---

After a delicious dinner filled with hours of conversation, Blaine walked Kurt back to his car in the parking lot outside the coffee shop.

“Thank you again for meeting with me. I appreciate you listening to me and offering your advice. I also wanted to thank you for sharing your story with me. I know a lot of it was really personal, so thank you for trusting me with that information… and for buying me dinner. You really didn’t have to do that,” Kurt told him.

“It wasn’t a problem. I had a lot of fun tonight, despite all the heavy topics at the beginning. I wish I could stay and continue talking to you. However, I really need to get going if I’m going to make curfew; but _please_ text me when you get home, so I know you arrived safely,” Blaine replied.

“Absolutely.”

“I’m gonna hug you now,” Blaine said, as he wrapped Kurt up in a tight hug goodnight.

Kurt chuckled while he returned the hug. “That is such a Rachel-thing to say.”

Blaine just shrugged his shoulders and smirked. He waved to Kurt as he got into his car and began his drive back to Dalton.

\---

Blaine’s phone rang as he pulled into the Dalton parking lot. Once he was parked, he answered the phone. “Hello?”

“Hey, man. Where are you? It’s almost curfew,” Jeff’s anxious voice responded.

“I’m walking into our building as we speak. I’ll be upstairs in a minute,” Blaine laughed.

“Oh, thank god. Guess I’ll talk to ya when I see ya then. Bye,” he said, hanging up before Blaine could respond.

A little over a minute later Blaine walked into his dorm room.

“Cutting it kinda close, aren’t you?” Jeff asked. “Is, uh, is Kurt okay? I know you were kinda worried about him before you left. And that call from him yesterday didn’t sound good – at least, your reaction to it didn’t sound that great.”

“Yeah. He’s alright. Something pretty scary happened and he just needed someone to talk to; you know, to get an outside perspective on the whole thing. But, yeah, he’s okay. And I’m sorry if my tardiness worried you. We went out to dinner after we talked – got a little carried away with additional conversation,” he replied.

Before Jeff could comment, they heard Blaine’s phone alert him to a text message. He smiled when he saw Kurt’s name flash on his screen. He turned his attention away from Jeff to read what Kurt had written.

**To Blaine > From Kurt:** Home safely. You make it back in time?

**To Kurt > From Blaine: __**Just barely. Glad you’re safe

**To Blaine > From Kurt: **Dad already went to bed. Gonna skip morning classes tomorrow so I can talk to him w/o Finn around. Thanks again. I’ll let you know how it goes

**To Kurt > From Blaine: __**Looking forward to it. Good luck!

Blaine looked up to see Jeff smirking at him. “What?”

“Who ya texting, Blainey?” Jeff teased.

“That was Kurt. He was just letting me know he made it home safely. Why?” Blaine answered, feigning innocence. 

“Because you have this dopey, love-sick smile on your face; that’s why,” he replied in a slightly mischievous tone. His expression then became more serious. “Hold up! Is _Kurt_ the guy you told me about a couple of days ago? The _straight_ guy you were infatuated with? The one you said you would forget about since he is _not gay_? Please tell me I’m wrong and you aren’t still crushing on this guy.”

“Yes and no. Yes, he’s the guy I mentioned to you. No, he’s not straight. In fact, he’s both gay and single,” Blaine replied with a huge grin. Then very quietly he added, “And I _did_ try to forget about him, but I’m not sure that’s an option anymore.”

“He’s gay? That’s great!” Jeff said. “Because I was just about to give you a huge lecture on falling for unobtainable, straight guys. Wait a minute. If he’s gay, then why did you tell me he was straight before?”

“I had been misinformed,” Blaine said. “He told me himself, yesterday, that he was gay. I was totally caught off guard by it too. I had to ask him again, to make sure I heard him right.”

“Well, I definitely feel a lot better knowing you at least have a chance with him. I’ve never actually seen you crush on someone that wasn’t a celebrity. It’s a little weird to be honest. But I know that this guy must be pretty amazing to have caught your eye. So are you gonna ask him out?” Jeff asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

“I don’t know. Maybe later, but not right now. I’m not sure how he feels about me yet. I mean, I know he trusts me, and he at least considers me a friend, but I don’t know if there’s anything deeper than that. Plus, with what he told me today, I’m not sure that now is the best time. I figured I’d keep talking to him, give us time to get to know each other better, then work from there,” he replied, sounding almost more like he was asking permission rather than making a statement.

“Sounds like a good plan,” Jeff agreed. “Hopefully, you’ll get your man. You deserve to be happy, dude.”

“Thanks,” he said, with a shy smile.

“No problem. So tell me about dinner? Where’d ya go? What’d ya talk about? Who paid? Come on, Blainey, I need details!” Jeff begged.

Blaine laughed loudly. “Okay, okay. Um, dinner was nice.” He ended his description there and started getting out his homework that he didn’t finish earlier during Study Hall.

Jeff rolled his eyes. “I said _details_ , Anderson!”

“Okay! Well, we went to this little seafood place around the corner from the coffee shop that we met up at. We talked about a lot of things – favorite artists and bands, favorite musicals, our hobbies, our friends and families – you know, just your average getting-to-know-you things. Um, the check came when he was in the restroom, and I paid it before he got back. He tried to pay me back for his meal when he realized what I did, but I wouldn’t let him. Is that enough details for you?” Blaine asked.

“No, but It’s a step in the right direction,” he said, clearly indicating that he wanted Blaine to continue.

“I still have some homework I need to finish before tomorrow,” Blaine said, changing the topic.

“Fine, but be warned, I will enlist Trent to help me drag the rest of those details out of you! You can’t hide from me. I know where you live; and I have a key!” Jeff threatened.

“Threat acknowledged,” Blaine replied, while opening his textbook.


	6. Chapter 6

Friday morning Kurt got up with his alarm but didn’t bother to get ready for school. He waited until he heard Finn leave, and could see his truck driving down the road before leaving his room. After a quick stop to the bathroom, he took a deep breath and went downstairs to the kitchen where he found his dad and stepmother, Carole, sitting at the table drinking coffee.

“Shouldn’t you be getting ready for school? What are you still in your pajamas for?” Burt said, as he eyeballed his son, cautiously.

“Um, there’s something I need to talk to you about. It’s sort of important,” Kurt told him.

“Everything alright?” he asked, his tone laced with apprehension.

“Not really.”

Burt put his coffee mug down and focused his gaze on his son, giving him his full attention. Carole noticed the tension and quietly excused herself to get ready for work.

“Well, sit. Talk.” Burt gestured to an empty seat.

Kurt took his seat and began telling his father all about the issues he’s been having with bullies for the past few years. Then he mentioned Karofsky, and how he would always single Kurt out; and how his attacks were becoming more frequent. He could tell his dad was trying to hold back on his anger, and he became even more nervous. Kurt told his dad about the incident in the locker room, and the death threat that followed. When he finally got to the events that happened on Wednesday, both in school and at the gas station, Kurt was in tears. Burt was visibly shaking with anger at everything he had heard. He wasn’t upset with Kurt, he was angry at Karofsky, and at the school.

“Why didn’t you tell me any of this sooner?” Burt asked.

“I didn’t want to worry you. I can handle all the names and the occasional shove. I’m almost out of that place anyway. I figured if I could just get through the next few months, everything would be okay. But ever since he cornered me in that locker room, things have just gotten worse. I don’t believe in outing people, but I don’t see any other way out of this. I just don’t know what to do anymore. I have no idea how to make this stop; and Principal Figgins said he can’t do anything without proof,” Kurt explained.

“You already talked to the principal about this?”

“I told Figgins about Karofsky purposefully breaking my phone and threatening to kill me, but I left out the part about the kiss. He told me the death threat was not credible. That if Karofsky did in fact threaten me, it was most likely not meant to be taken literally. No one was around when he said it, so it’s my word against his. And as for my phone, there is no proof that _he’s_ the one that broke it, let alone _intentionally_ broke it. Even though the hallway was crowded when he did it, _no one_ is willing to step forward as a witness,” Kurt clarified.

“Well, I want to talk to Figgins myself. And those bully’s parents too. We’ll get this mess sorted. I have half a mind to go to the police and press charges on that boy!”

“Dad, I don’t think there’s anything the police can do. We don’t have any proof that anything even happened. Blaine suggested seeing if the gas station security camera saw what he did in the parking lot, but still, I don’t think that would be enough to charge him with anything,” Kurt tried to reason.

“Who’s Blaine? How’s he involved in all this?” Burt wondered, sounding suspicious.

“Oh, um, Blaine is Rachel’s brother. I saw him while I was getting coffee yesterday and sort of dumped all of this on him. I needed to vent, and he agreed to listen. I knew that he’s had problems with bullies before – since he’s also gay – so I thought he might be able to help. He’s actually the one that convinced me to talk to you,” he said, feeling slightly insecure.

“Well, good. I’m glad he was there to talk some sense into you. And I think he might be onto something with that camera thing. I’ll take a drive down to the gas station and see what they got there. Then I’m calling your school and setting up a meeting with your principal and that kid’s parents.” Burt studied his son for a minute before adding, “Why don’t you go back upstairs and get some rest. I’m not allowing you to step foot in that school until we get this sorted out.”

Kurt nodded, silently agreeing with his father, and headed back to his room upstairs. Stress from last night and this morning coupled with the small amount of sleep he had gotten over the past few days left him drained. He collapsed on his bed and had fallen asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

\---

Kurt awoke again at around 11 am. He decided he should take a shower and get ready for the day. When he made it back downstairs an hour later, he noticed he was the only one at home. There was a note on the kitchen table from his dad stating that he went to run some errands and check in at the shop; he would be back in a few hours.

Kurt made himself a light lunch. He took his food into the living room, sat on the couch, and turned on the TV to pass the time. When he was done eating, he took out his phone and decided to text Blaine a quick update.

**To Blaine > From Kurt:** Talked to dad. He was really upset. He’s setting up a meeting w/my principal and the bully’s parents

It took about 20 minutes before he got a reply.

**To Kurt > From Blaine:** That sounds like a good idea. Maybe the school will take the complaint more seriously coming from an adult

**To Blaine > From Kurt:** Hopefully. My dad says thank you btw. For making me talk to him

**To Kurt > From Blaine:** You deserve to feel safe. I gotta get to Chem. Talk later?

**To Blaine > From Kurt:** OK 

Before he put his phone away, Kurt sent another text. This time, it was to Finn asking if he could pick up his homework for him. Finn said it wouldn’t be a problem, and asked Kurt if he was sick. Kurt told him that he was fine; he just needed to stay home to get his dad’s help with something. Finn didn’t ask any more questions after that, for which Kurt was grateful.

Burt came home not long after that, and asked Kurt to join him at the table so they could have a conversation.

“So I stopped by the gas station earlier. I talked to the manager there; he’s actually a customer of mine from the shop. He said he’d check their tapes and see if they caught anything. The whole interaction was recorded, but there’s no sound on it, so ya can’t hear what he said to you. I got a copy of it though and brought it down to the police station. You were right, there’s not enough to charge him with anything. However, they told me that the tape _was_ enough for you to get a restraining order on this kid. You gotta go down there and file for it yourself though, since you’re 18 now. Once you file, it should take a few days for a judge to approve it, then he won’t be allowed near you. 

“I also called your school,” Burt continued. “We got a meeting with your principal, that Karofsky kid, and his dad Monday morning. I figure if we show them that video and mention the restraining order, the school board will know we mean business and have to do something,” Burt explained to him.

It was a lot of information for Kurt to take in, but he felt relieved that there seemed to be a real solution. “I just want this all to be over. I guess we’ll see what happens after the meeting before I decide what to do about a possible restraining order. Thank you, Dad. I appreciate you doing all of this for me,” Kurt said, sincerely.

“It’s my job, Kurt.”

Kurt and his father both agreed they would wait until after the meeting to mention anything about the possibility of a restraining order to Finn. They didn’t need rumors circulating around the school before it was determined how – or even if – Karofsky would get punished. Burt would talk to Carole later and fill her in on what was happening.

\---

After dinner, Kurt took his homework that Finn brought home upstairs to his room. Before he could start working on it, he remembered that he told Blaine that they’d talk later about his conversation with his dad. He had a lot more information to share with him now, so he took out his phone and called him. Blaine answered on the second ring.

“Hey, Kurt, what’s up?” Blaine greeted him.

“Hi, Blaine. Can you talk, or is it a bad time?” Kurt wondered.

“I can talk. I’m just at the florist with my roommate.”

“Florist? Do I want to know?” Kurt chuckled, nervously.

Blaine laughed. “He wanted my help picking out flowers to give to his girlfriend. Her birthday is on Monday. But I don’t really feel like helping him much anymore.”

“Oh, you don’t have to abandon him just to talk to me; it’s okay. I’ll just talk to you later or something,” Kurt tried to argue.

“No, no! It’s not because you called. I’m refusing to help him ‘cause he was being mean to me,” Blaine clarified.

“How was he mean to you?” he asked, cautiously.

“Jeff, that’s my roommate’s name in case you don’t remember, asked me what my favorite flower was – to help give him some ideas for his girlfriend’s bouquet. When I told him, he laughed at me. Now I’m refusing to give him help until he apologizes.”

Kurt giggled at that answer. “Oh, okay. Why did he laugh at you? What’s your favorite flower?”

“Pansy. Or more specifically: blue pansies.”

Kurt could hear laughter in the background. Then a voice he didn’t recognize, that he suspected belonged to Jeff, was speaking very close to the phone’s mouthpiece. “Oh, come on, Blainey! Don’t tell me you can’t see the irony in that!” Kurt rolled his eyes at that comment.

“I tried to explain to Jeff that the pansy is my favorite flower because it has a significant sentimental value to me. But he’s too hung-up on the irony of me being gay, and pansy being a derogatory name for a gay man, that he doesn’t understand why I’m taking offense to him laughing at me,” Blaine explained, in a slightly irritated voice that Kurt suspected was directed at Jeff.

“I see. While the name of that flower is rather unfortunate, it is still a very pretty flower, especially if you get the right color combination. I agree with you though, he should be a little more respectful of the fact that the flower means something special to you. I can sympathize because my favorite flower has sentimental value to me too; the calla lily. It was my mom’s favorite. She used to keep vases full of them around the house all the time. My mom told me that the shape the petals make is called ‘trumpet-shaped’, and since she loved music so much, she said the flower was a perfect fit to her personality. Every time that I went to the florist with her, I always made sure she got some light purple ones, since purple is my favorite color and I thought they were the prettiest,” Kurt said, wistfully. “It’s been a while since we’ve had any calla lilies around the house.”

“That’s beautiful, Kurt. My mom is the reason behind my favorite flower too. She loved to paint still-life portraits in her spare time. I have this amazing portrait she did of a vase full of blue pansies sitting on a windowsill. I was 5 when she painted it, but I can still remember how big her smile was as she brought that painting to life. She had the most beautiful smile,” he said, his voice soft with nostalgia.

“Aww, that’s so sweet! I’d love to see that portrait sometime, if that’s okay with you?”

“Yeah, it’s actually hanging on my bedroom wall at my dads’ house. Next time I’m there I’ll show it to you.” There was a muffled voice in the background that Kurt could not understand. “Hold on a second,” Blaine said to Kurt. He could hear Blaine cover the mouthpiece and start talking to someone else but was unable to determine what they were saying.

After a few moments, Blaine’s voice was back speaking to him again. “Sorry ‘bout that. Jeff was just letting me know he placed his order, so we’re heading back to the dorm now. Apparently, he got help from the lady behind the counter while I was ignoring him.”

“Well, that’s good.” Kurt took a deep breath, preparing himself to change the subject. “Um, so I thought I’d call to fill you in on the talk I had with my dad this morning,” he started, carefully. “If you’re still interested in hearing about it, that is?”

“Yeah, you said he was going to set up a meeting, right?”

“Right, but there’s more to it though. He talked to the manager of the gas station and got a copy of their surveillance footage. There’s no sound on it, unfortunately, but it did capture the bully trapping me against my car, and it’s pretty obvious that his presence is unwelcome. My dad showed it to the police, and they said there isn’t enough evidence on the tape to press charges for anything, but there is enough to grant me a restraining order. I’m probably going to file for one after the meeting at my school – which is set up for Monday morning – depending on how everything turns out. I’m still trying to decide if I want to file or not. My dad thinks that showing the principal the footage from the gas station, and mentioning a possible R.O., plus the complaints I’ve already filed at school will force the principal to not only take this seriously, but tip the scales in my favor,” Kurt elaborated.

“Oh, wow. That’s really good news, Kurt. I really hope everything works out for you. I’m so glad you were able to get that tape to help you out! The school would have to be crazy not to vote in your favor, but no matter the outcome, I still think you should file for that, um, you know…” Blaine said, trailing off.

Kurt scrunched his face up in confusion. “You mean the restraining order?” he asked.

“Yes, that! I just didn’t want to say it, because Jeff can hear my side of this conversation while we’re driving back to school; and I didn’t think you’d want him knowing _too_ many details,” he explained.

“Oh, okay, yeah that makes sense. Thanks. So, you think I should file no matter what?”

“I do. I mean, think of it this way: the school’s decision can only affect what happens at school. That other thing will take care of everywhere else. That way, you’re always covered.”

“True. Usually whenever he’d see me outside of school, the worst he did was throw some lame insult at me in passing. Wednesday was the first time he ever approached me, and it scared the crap out of me. I’d rather not have to go through anything like that again; especially with his threat lingering over my head,” he said.

“Exactly. Did your dad say anything else?”

Kurt thought about that for a second. “Not really. I mean, I just told him everything that I told you yesterday. I explained to him everything that I did report to the principal and the replies I got. He was so upset both at Ka – uh, the bully, and at the school. He was also a little hurt that I hadn’t talked to him about any of this sooner, and that I lied about how my phone actually got broken but… Hey, can you hang on a sec? I have another call coming in.”

“Sure.”

Kurt switched over to the other call. “Hello?”

“Kurt, what’s going on?” Rachel practically shouted at him in reply. “Wednesday, you left school at lunch time and didn’t come back for the rest of the day. Yesterday, after Glee Club you took off in quite the hurry, and according to Finn you didn’t get home ‘til after 10pm. Then today, you don’t show up to school at all; and Finn said you _weren’t_ sick. He also just told me that you were acting weird at dinner tonight. So what is going on?”

Kurt sighed; he really didn’t want to have to explain this to Rachel right now, but he knew how persistent she was. It was best to get this over with. Hopefully, he’d be able to answer her questions, without getting into details. He wasn’t ready for her to know the full truth yet.

“Rachel, I have a call on the other line. Let me just wrap that up real quick. I’ll be back in a second. Okay?”

“Fine, but if we get disconnected, I’m just going to keep calling back ‘til you talk to me,” she huffed.

“I know. Just one sec,” he told her.

He switched back to Blaine’s call. “Hello?”

“Hi. Welcome back,” Blaine said, cheerfully.

“Unfortunately, that is your sister on the other line. She’s demanding my attention, so I need to go. But, um, thank you, for, like, everything.”

“You are very welcome, Kurt. It wasn’t a problem. I would ask you to give Rachel my love, but that would just present some awkward questions.” Blaine paused for a split second before adding, “Good luck on Monday,” before hanging up.

Kurt returned to his call with Rachel.

“Sorry about that. I’m all yours now,” he said, by way of greeting.

“Good. So, tell me. What has been going on with you recently? Where did you run off to so quickly yesterday? And who were you talking to just now?” she questioned.

“I went nowhere, really. I was meeting someone, and I didn’t want to keep them waiting. I didn’t get home until late because the meeting ran longer than expected,” he told her.

“Who were you meeting? What was it about?” Rachel asked, suspiciously.

He sighed loudly. “I just needed to talk to someone about something. Both of which are none of your business,” he added, annoyed.

“What do you mean ‘none of my business’? Kurt, I’m your best friend! You’re supposed to tell me these things!” she argued.

“Rachel –” he started but was cut off by Rachel screeching.

“Oh. My. God. You were meeting a _boy_! Weren’t you? Is that who you were talking to just now too? Oh, Kurt! Why didn’t you tell me you had a date? I’m so happy for you!” she gushed.

“Rachel! It wasn’t a date. I told you, I just needed to go _talk_ to someone. I know you want more information, but right now, I can’t give you any,” he grumbled.

“Oh, I see how it is. You don’t want to say anything about your mystery man just yet because you’re still trying to figure out the relationship. Well, that is totally understandable. I’ll forgive you for not telling me about your date for now, but you will eventually have to tell me everything, you know. What about today? Why weren’t you at school? And why did you leave early on Wednesday?”

“It wasn’t a – never mind.” Kurt sighed loudly, deciding not to argue with her. “Wednesday, I left because I was slushied on my way to lunch and I didn’t have a change of clothing on me. And today…I had to do something with my dad today.”

“Oh,” Rachel said, sounding disappointed. “Well, what about dinner? Finn said you were acting weird, like, you were all quiet and moody, or something.”

“I was just tired and a little stressed.”

“Stressed about what? Your new possible boyfriend, maybe?” she teased.

“School stuff.”

“I hear you on that one!” Rachel sympathized. “I’ve been trying to make sure I get as many credentials as I can get for my résumé to include with my NYADA application, not to mention letters of recommendation. And Sectionals is in 2 weeks and Mr. Schue still hasn’t finalized the setlist! How am I supposed to perform my best for any potential scouts and win us this competition if he won’t let me know which songs I should be practicing?” she said, exasperatedly.

For once, Kurt was grateful for Rachel’s ability to turn a conversation around to focus on her. He played along and let her believe it was college applications and Sectionals preparations that were the cause of his stress. They continued discussing song selections and other miscellaneous topics for the next 15 minutes, before Rachel had to go.

Once Kurt hung up, he opened up a new text to send to Blaine.

**To Blaine > From Kurt:** You hung up before I could say goodnight :(

**To Kurt > From Blaine:** Sorry. I know Rachel doesn’t like to be kept waiting. I was trying to save you from her wrath

**To Blaine > From Kurt:** *SWOON* Such a gentleman! As much as I love Rachel, I would have preferred to continue talking to you

**>** She asked where I went after glee yesterday. She thinks I have a secret boyfriend I’m not telling her about

**To Kurt > From Blaine:** I’m flattered that you would choose me over her

**>** Ooh! A secret boyfriend? Do I know him? ;)

**To Blaine > From Kurt:** LOL! Unfortunately, there is no such boy :(

**>** Apparently, I can only attract closet-case Neanderthals

**To Kurt > From Blaine:** KURT! Don’t say that! You know that’s not true!

**To Blaine > From Kurt:** Sorry. I have an odd sense of humor I guess. Anyway, I’m going to bed now. I just wanted to say goodnight. TTYL

**To Kurt > From Blaine: **Goodnight


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: mentions of sexual assault & severe bullying

Kurt and his father arrived at McKinley early Monday morning. Donna, Principal Figgins’s secretary, had them take a seat outside the office until the Karofskys arrived. Mr. Schuester, Coach Beiste, and Coach Sylvester could be seen talking with Principal Figgins through the glass wall of his office. Kurt briefly wondered what they were all talking about, but his thoughts were interrupted with the arrival of his bully, Dave Karofsky, and his father, Paul. Donna showed the four men into the principal’s office, where Figgins asked them all to take a seat.

Principal Figgins explained that he asked Mr. Schuester and Coach Beiste to participate in this meeting because of their familiarity with each of the students – Coach Beiste being Dave’s football coach, and Mr. Schuster being Kurt’s Glee Club director. Coach Sylvester was there because she insisted on knowing everything that went on in the school and did not like that she was not asked to be included.

Paul Karofsky looked around at all the faculty in the room. “I’m still not sure I understand why we’re here. What exactly is this meeting about?” he asked. “Is David in some sort of trouble?”

Burt jumped in to answer him. “We’re here because your kid has been harassing my son. He’s destroyed expensive personal property, assaulted him, and even threatened my boy’s life!” He spoke with a quiet intensity, clearly holding back most of his anger.

Dave, who had been solemn and quiet since his arrival, snapped his attention to Kurt at Burt’s explanation. “He’s lying! I never touched him!” he shouted.

Paul put a hand on his son’s shoulder and murmured for him to calm down.

Burt continued to speak as though he had not been interrupted. “I want my son to be – and _feel_ – safe at his own school; and that cannot happen unless something is done about this bullying situation.”

“Mr. Hummel, I understand your frustrations, but as I have told Kurt, unless there is _proof_ , my hands are tied,” Principal Figgins explained, calmly.

“Well then, it’s a good thing I brought some proof with me now, isn’t it?” Burt retorted.

Dave interjected again. “What proof? There isn’t any proof, because he’s lying! I didn’t do anything to him!” he said, sounding both angry and a little scared.

“I have a copy of the footage from the security camera in the parking lot of that gas station you were in Wednesday night. The police tell me that there is more than enough evidence on this tape for Kurt to obtain a restraining order against you. So you wanna rethink that statement and try again? Maybe explain to your father and Figgins here what they can expect to see on this tape?” Burt stared down Dave, intimidating him.

Dave went pale. His father looked at him cautiously. “What is he talking about, David? What happened at the gas station?” Paul asked.

Dave refused to answer the questions he was being asked, so Mr. Schuester took the opportunity to ask his own questions. “A restraining order? That’s pretty serious. I know that Dave has given Kurt a hard time, but as far as I knew it was just verbal; teasing and name calling. Kurt, why didn’t you come to me or Figgins if the bullying was getting out of hand?”

“I did,” Kurt said, speaking for the first time since the meeting began. “No one was willing to listen. Everyone just brushed my complaints to the side and told me to stop being so dramatic, that ‘boys will be boys’.

“My back and arms are _literally_ covered in bruises from all the times he’s shoved me into the lockers or tripped me in the hallway,” he continued. “My bruises don’t even have time to heal before he’s giving me new ones. You can actually see indentations of _numbers_ from one of the locker combinations on my shoulder due to the force he used slamming me into them on Thursday. Do you know how _painful_ it is trying to sleep when your entire back is just one giant bruise?”

Kurt glared at Mr. Schue as he continued his rant. “How many times have I walked into Glee late because I was cleaning slushie stains out of my clothes? Or washing food coloring out of my hair and off my skin? All because David and his friends thought it would be _hysterical_ to throw a frozen beverage in my face – or dump it over my head. Do you have any idea how many articles of clothing he’s ruined beyond repair by doing that? How _expensive_ it is to replace an entire wardrobe?

“Or what about all the times he’s tossed me into the dumpsters? I know for a fact you’ve witnessed that once or twice, but no one ever got in trouble for that. Not even when it resulted in me getting a broken bone a few years ago!

“And finally, I _told_ Principal Figgins all about how David purposefully broke my phone, just because he felt like it. I also told him how David threatened to _kill_ me.

“You _all_ chose to ignore me. Demanding proof before you’d even _consider_ taking any kind of action – despite having seen or heard these things with your own eyes and ears. But now it’s gotten to the point where it’s not just at _school_ that I don’t feel safe anymore. So, no matter what happens in this office today, I _will_ be filing for a restraining order as soon as I leave here. And then _you_ can deal with the mess that creates for you if you choose to continue letting his actions go unpunished. Because I refuse to be his victim any longer,” Kurt said, bitterly.

Paul took in Kurt’s words and expressions thoughtfully. “David. Is what he is saying the truth? Did you do all of that?”

Dave snarled at Kurt. “You told Figgins about that? No one was supposed to find out about what happened! You _promised_ you wouldn’t tell!”

“Mr. Karofsky, are you admitting to the damages and threats Mr. Hummel has accused you of?” Principal Figgins asked Dave.

Dave turned his attention to the principal, and then looked around the room at all the faces staring at him. He had seemingly forgotten that they were there. “No! He’s twisting everything around! He _made_ me do it! I didn’t do anything wrong! _He’s_ the one who’s been walking around this school acting like he’s better than everyone. Wearing those stupid girly clothes, talking in his stupid girly voice, and singing and prancing around with all those other losers in that gay club of his. Fairies like him need to remember their place and stop trying to infect everyone with their fairy dust!”

“That’s enough!” Coach Beiste interjected. “David, you have some very serious allegations being thrown at you; you are not helping your case by hooting and hollering and calling him names like that. So calm down and be quiet.”

Burt addressed the faculty in the room. “I think it’s clear that this bullying goes way beyond just some simple schoolyard teasing. So tell me, what do you all plan to do about it?”

Coach Sylvester decided to join the conversation. “I think we should take a look at that video you mentioned and figure out how severe of a punishment Dave’s looking at,” she said holding out her hand, silently asking for Burt to hand her the DVD with the security footage.

Burt nodded at her and handed over the disc. She turned Figgins’s computer monitor around so everyone in the room could watch then popped the disc into the computer. “Before I hit play on this bad boy, you wanna give us your version of what we can expect to see?” Sue asked, looking directly at Dave.

He shook his head then looked down at the floor. Coach Sylvester hit play, and everyone turned their attention to the monitor. They watched as Kurt got out of his car, walked over to the gas pump, and started filling his tank. They could see Karofsky walking up toward him while Kurt’s back was turned. They saw Kurt’s face when he realized Karofsky was there, how frightened he looked. They continued watching as David stepped further and further into Kurt’s personal space until there wasn’t any space left. They saw the way he pressed himself up against Kurt, slightly grinding his hips down on Kurt’s leg, then caressing Kurt’s cheek as he leaned in even closer to whisper something in his ear. The lust in Karofsky’s eyes and the fear emanating from Kurt were visible to everyone watching. When the video ended the entire room was silent.

Paul Karofsky was the first to break the silence. “David, can you please explain to me what I just watched?” he asked, both stunned and confused.

“It’s his own fault! He’s constantly confusing me with all his girly behavior. If he would just stop _tempting_ me with those damn skin-tight jeans he wears all the time, I never would have kissed him in that locker room! He thinks he’s better than me, but he’s not! He had no right to reject me. To tell _me_ I’m not good enough for _him_! He’s the loser around here, not me! He should be begging me to be with him! I was just making sure he knew how big a mistake he was making!” Dave snapped.

“What kiss in the locker room? What are you talking about, Dave?” Coach Beiste asked.

“You said you told Figgins,” Dave said to Kurt, looking confused.

“I said I told him that you broke my phone then threatened to kill me,” Kurt corrected. “I never said I told him what happened in between. You just assumed I did.”

David’s face went pale as he looked around the room anxiously.

“Is someone going to explain what the two of you are talking about?” Sue asked them, staring at David.

When Dave didn’t answer, Kurt did. His face was expressionless as he explained Dave’s outburst. “Well, since the cat’s out of the bag… A few weeks ago, right after David broke my phone, I followed him into the locker room. I was angry and upset. We argued. Then out of nowhere he just grabbed my face and hate-kissed me. When I broke away, he tried to kiss me again, but I managed to shove him back. He got mad, punched a locker, and left. The next day he came up to me in an empty hallway and said that if I ever told anyone what he did, he would kill me. And I’m 100% sure he meant every word of that threat.”

“Mr. Hummel, why did you leave that information out when you mentioned the threat to me earlier?” Figgins asked him.

“I don’t believe in outing people. I think everyone deserves the opportunity to come out on their own terms. Besides, if I had told you, what would you have done? You would have asked for proof that I could not give you. Or you would have called David into your office and asked for his side of the story, where he would deny everything, or worse; he’d try to turn the allegations around on me, and then tell you that I forced myself onto him. I have enough problems at this school. I don’t need everyone believing I’m some predatory gay preying on innocent straight boys. I left that part out to protect _both_ of us,” Kurt’s tone of voice was subdued as he explained.

Figgins nodded in understanding. “Well, in light of everything presented to us here today, I think the only option I have is to expel Mr. Karofsky indefinitely. I will need to confer with the school board though, as is the case with all expulsions. If the four of you would just head into the waiting area with Donna, I will make that phone call now.”

Principal Figgins opened his office door and asked Donna if she could conference call the superintendent and the school board for him and transfer the call into his office while the Hummels and Karofskys waited outside.

\---

Once seated in the waiting area, Paul Karofsky addressed both Hummel men. “I want to apologize to both of you for my son’s behavior. If I had known any of this was going on, I would have tried to put an end to it myself. As it stands now, I can only tell you that I wish none of this had happened. I understand you intend on getting that restraining order, and I think that might be for the best. I’m going to make an appointment for David to see a psychologist. Hopefully it will help him work through some of his issues. And I will make sure that he pays you back every cent for that phone that he broke.”

Dave glared at his father. “I don’t need a shrink! This is all Hummel’s fault. I’m going to lose any chance I had at a football scholarship if I get expelled! This is so not fair,” he complained, flipping over an empty armchair in anger.

“David, be quiet. You’re already in enough trouble as it is,” his father warned him.

It took almost 15 minutes before Principal Figgins brought the men back into his office. “Well, I have just spoken to the school board and the superintendent. It was a unanimous decision. David Karofsky, I’m sorry, but you are hereby expelled from William McKinley High School effective immediately. Please clean out your lockers of your belongings. You may leave your textbooks with my secretary, Donna. Coach Beiste will collect your football uniform from you and escort you out.”

Coach Beiste escorted Dave and his father out of the office, and they headed down to the locker room to start clearing out Dave’s belongings.

Principal Figgins turned to Kurt once they had left. “Mr. Hummel, I apologize that we were unable to help you before this. I hope that this school is once again a safe environment for you. Why don’t you take the rest of the day off? We’ll see you tomorrow.”

Kurt let out the breath he’d been holding since they walked into the office and nodded. “Thank you.”

Coach Sylvester retrieved the DVD with the gas station footage from the computer and handed it back to Burt. After Kurt and his father left the office, Kurt spoke to Donna quietly for a moment. Then she wrote something down then handed it to him before Kurt stepped into the hallway.

“What’s that for?” Burt asked, gesturing to the note Donna gave him.

“I thought I should turn in all my homework from Thursday and Friday and collect my assignments from my teachers. This is just a note letting them know I’ve been excused from classes for today,” Kurt explained.

Burt nodded. “Okay. I’ll just go wait in the truck while you do that then. We’ll head over to the courthouse to file those papers when you’re done.”

\---

“Oh my god, Kurt!” Rachel’s voice could be heard calling to him from down the hallway. He had just left his French teacher’s classroom and was heading toward his Calculus classroom when she saw him. Finn was following close behind her.

“Tina told me she saw you and your dad in Principal Figgins’s office with Karofsky and his dad, along with Mr. Schue, Coach Beiste, and Coach Sylvester earlier! And I just saw Coach Beiste escorting Karofsky out of the building. What happened? Are you okay?” Rachel said, worriedly.

“Yeah, dude, why was Burt here? Does this have something to do with why you weren’t in school on Friday? ‘Cause you and Burt have been acting all strange and secretive and stuff all weekend. It was kinda weirding me out,” Finn added.

Kurt took a deep breath. “Yes, Finn. It’s the reason I wasn’t here Friday,” he told them. “I stayed home because I needed my dad’s help getting that meeting that Tina saw to take place.”

“So, what happened? What was that meeting about?” Rachel asked him.

“Karofsky’s bullying had become too much. He threatened to kill me.” Rachel gasped loudly. “But, for once, the school listened to me. He was just expelled. Indefinitely,” Kurt said, a small smile forming on his face.

“Wait. If they expelled him, who’s gonna be my right guard?” Finn asked.

“Really, Finn! I just told you he threatened to _kill_ me, and you’re worried about the stupid football team?” Kurt said, unbelieving of his brother’s tactlessness.

Rachel spoke before Finn could answer. “I’m so glad you’re not hurt! I can’t believe he would do that!”

“Thanks.” He smiled at her.

“Oh, yeah, I’m glad you’re not hurt too. I know Karofsky was a jerk and all, but the team sorta needs him.” Finn noticed the glares both Rachel and Kurt were giving him. “But your safety is more important,” he added hurriedly.

“Thanks, Finn,” Kurt said, rolling his eyes. “Listen guys, I can’t stay. My dad’s waiting for me in his truck. Principal Figgins gave me the rest of the day off. I’m just dropping off my homework and collecting my assignments. Rachel, why don’t you come over later, or call me and I’ll fill you in on everything. Okay?” he asked, before turning back down the hall toward his Calculus classroom again.

\---

Kurt made his way out to the parking lot and got into the passenger seat of his father’s truck. He sent Blaine a text while Burt drove to the courthouse.

**To Blaine > From Kurt:** He was expelled!!!!! Thank you sooo much for all your help!

**>** So much to tell you! OMW to file for R.O. now. Call me later!

They arrived at the courthouse and filed the paperwork for the restraining order. A hearing was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon to determine if his request would be approved. He would need to come back and present the security footage to the judge at that time.

When Kurt and his father returned home, they told Carole all about the meeting and everything that happened. While they were filling her in, Kurt’s phone chimed with an incoming text.

**To Kurt > From Blaine:** I am so happy for you!! Can’t wait to hear all about it

**>** I have photography club after school. Can I call after dinner?

**To Blaine > From Kurt:** Sure. TTYL

“Kurt, honey, who are you texting?” Carole asked him.

“Oh. Uh, I’m just talking to Blaine. I texted him earlier about Karofsky’s expulsion, and he wanted to check-in with me,” he replied, bashfully.

“Blaine? Do I know who that is?”

“He’s Rachel’s brother.”

“I didn’t know Rachel had a brother. I haven’t heard any of you kids mention him before. Is he in Glee Club with you?” she replied, curiously.

“He doesn’t go to McKinley; he attends a boarding school in another town. Rachel doesn’t like talking about him for some reason,” Kurt told her. “I met him last week, when he was home for the weekend. He’s been helping me deal with the whole Karofsky situation – giving me advice and just lending a friendly ear when I need to vent. He’s gay too, so he understands a lot of things my other friends can’t.”

“Well, he must be really special to bring that kind of smile to your face,” she said.

Kurt shook his head shyly. “He’s just a friend.”

“Just a friend, huh? You sure? You don’t normally smile and blush that much when talking to someone who is _just_ a friend.” she said, in a slightly teasing tone.

“Trust me, Carole, he’s just a friend,” he replied, despondently.


	8. Chapter 8

Finn arrived home after his football practice with Rachel, Tina, Mercedes, and Puck in tow. They all sat down in the living room with Kurt so that he could explain the meeting that took place in Figgins’s office earlier that day.

“Kurt, what happened with Karofsky? I saw all of you with Figgins in his office earlier. I asked Finn and Rachel what was going on and they didn’t know; then later, Rachel told me you said they expelled Karofsky for trying to kill you? I find that hard to believe, so can you explain what _really_ happened?” Tina asked him once everyone had sat down.

“He did not actually _try_ to kill me. He just _threatened_ to. Figgins did expel him though. There was a conference call with the school board, and it was a unanimous vote,” Kurt started to explain.

“Hold up! We lost our best right guard because of a stupid _threat_?” Puck exclaimed.

“It wasn’t _just_ because of the threat, Puck! God! What is it with you guys and that damn football team? Finn said the same thing. I’m so glad to know that your precious team is more important to you guys than _my life_ ,” he said, irritated.

“Yeah, well practice today sucked, dude,” Puck told him. “Beiste had Ramsey filling in for Karofsky, and he kept messing up. Big time. And all of _us_ had to suffer through extra drills because of it. Sorry if I’m a little annoyed that _I’m_ being punished because _you_ can’t handle a _joke_.”

Kurt took a deep breath to calm down before continuing. “That threat _wasn’t_ a joke; and it wasn’t just an expression either – he meant it _literally_. It also wasn’t the _only_ reason he was expelled. It was just the proverbial ‘straw that broke the camel’s back’ so-to-speak. His bullying had gotten out of control. It became personal. He had become more aggressive, and he attacked more frequently. My back is _covered_ in bruises from all of the locker shoves. I even had to get a new phone a few weeks ago because he purposefully _shattered_ mine for no reason. I couldn’t take it anymore.”

“I _knew_ that was a new phone,” Tina replied. “Rachel tried to tell me you just got a new case.”

“Oh, boo,” Mercedes cooed, sympathetically, after rolling her eyes at Tina. “We had no idea it was so serious. Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I tried telling all of you _weeks_ ago. You all thought I was being _overdramatic_. _Nobody_ took me seriously. So I just stopped talking about it,” he said, sadly.

“But Kurt, what exactly did he do? I mean, he’s been bullying all of us for years. Nothing’s ever been done about it before. Not even a detention. How did you get Figgins to _expel_ him?” Rachel wondered.

Kurt was hesitant. He didn’t want to tell his friends about the kiss, or the incident at the gas station. If that news somehow got out to the rest of the school, it wouldn’t be because he told them. He didn’t want to be the one responsible for spreading it around. He thought carefully about how to answer her.

“My dad and I told Figgins and Karofsky’s dad about all the bullying David has done in _detail_ – the locker slams, the dumpster tosses, the slushie facials, the taunting, the destruction of personal property, et cetera. I explained to them all how it was affecting me mentally and physically – being unable to get a decent night’s sleep because my back is constantly covered in bruises from all the times he’s shoved me into a wall or locker; having to constantly be aware of my surroundings so that I can be ready to brace for impact at any given time; needing to constantly make sure I have a change of clothing and hygiene products in my locker in case I get doused with a slushie. Then I told them about how much money it cost to replace all the things that David had broken or ruined – not just my phone, but all of the clothing that is permanently stained by slushie dye or torn because of something that _he_ did. Mr. Karofsky seemed to believe that I was telling the truth – said I sounded genuine – so he asked Dave about it. And Karofsky sort of blew up. He yelled at me and called me a few slurs in front of the entire room, and then he ended up admitting to everything he was accused of – and _more_ – to everyone there. Based on his confession, the aggression he showed, and the apparent lack of remorse, they decided expulsion was the only option,” he explained.

“Wow! He admitted to everything? Just like that?” Tina asked, surprised.

“He was _so_ angry. I don’t think he had any idea what he was actually saying. He told them it was my fault – that I made him do it. He said that he did all of it because I was a loser and needed to remember my place, instead of walking around acting like I’m better than everyone; he said he was just making sure that I didn’t forget that, because people like me shouldn’t be able to go around unchecked. He told them he wouldn’t have done any of it if I had just behaved how he wanted me to. There were a bunch of insults and name-calling thrown in there while he was saying all of this too. Then afterwards, when he looked around the room, it was almost like he was surprised to find himself surrounded by teachers; like he forgot they were there or something,” Kurt answered.

“Damn, Kurt! That is _intense_! I’m so sorry we didn’t notice any of this sooner,” Mercedes said.

“Dude, why didn’t you come to me? We’re brothers. I’m supposed to have your back,” Finn asked him.

“I’m sorry, Finn. Like I said before, anytime I did mention it to someone, it was brushed aside. No one wanted to take anything I said seriously. Not only that, but everyone has been so wrapped up in dealing with their own problems, and their own dramas, that it just seemed easier for me to try and deal with it on my own,” he explained. “But after his threat…I knew I couldn’t do this on my own anymore. So, I finally told my dad everything.”

After all their questions were exhausted, and their curiosities satisfied, Puck, Tina, and Mercedes decided to leave. Rachel would be sticking around to hang out with Finn and Kurt until after dinner. She, of course, turned the conversation around so that they were now discussing Glee Club and the upcoming Sectionals competition.

\---

Blaine called Kurt around 7 pm that evening. His phone rang while he was watching a movie with Finn and Rachel in his bedroom.

“Hey! How are you?” Kurt whispered his greeting.

Rachel looked over at him and paused the movie, which caused Finn to grumble and complain. “Who’s on the phone?” she demanded.

“Is that Rachel?” Kurt heard Blaine ask through the receiver.

“Yes. I’m watching a movie with my brother and his girlfriend. Let me just go to a different room so we can talk,” Kurt answered him.

He stood up to leave, but Rachel grabbed his arm. “Kurt! Why aren’t you answering me? Who’s on the phone?” She saw Kurt start to blush and squealed. “Wait! Is that the secret boyfriend you aren’t telling me about? Can I talk to him?”

“What boyfriend? Dude, you have a boyfriend? When did that happen?” Finn asked, confused.

Kurt groaned loudly. “Rachel, for the last time: I. Don’t. Have. A. Boyfriend.”

“Then why are you blushing? Hmm? You don’t smile like that when you talk to me,” Rachel teased.

“That’s because _you_ are annoying. Now either you and Finn can leave _my_ room, or I will,” he told her, as he broke out of her grip and headed for the door. He went downstairs and sat at the kitchen table since his parents were in the living room watching TV.

“Sorry about that,” he told Blaine.

He could hear Blaine chuckle. “It’s okay. I know what Rachel is like when she gets an idea in her head. She just doesn’t let it go,” Blaine told him. “So, were you really smiling and blushing?” Blaine asked, still laughing.

“UGH! I’m so not going to dignify that with a response. We have more important things to discuss,” Kurt deflected.

“Right! Of course. So, the big bad bully was expelled? That is excellent news!” Blaine responded.

“It really is! I owe you so, so much for all of your help. Really, Blaine, I could not have gotten this far without you. Thank you!”

“While I appreciate the gratitude, it is completely unnecessary. All I did was listen.”

“No, you did so much more than that. You convinced me to talk to my dad and tell him everything. You were also the one that suggested checking the security feed from the gas station. It was because of you that that meeting in the principal’s office today even happened in the first place. _You_ are the reason I finally feel safe. So, please, don’t downplay your role in all this. You did more for me than you realize,” he told Blaine, sincerely. “I just wish I knew how to properly thank you for all of it.”

Blaine swallowed the lump in his throat. “Well, in that case, you’re very welcome. No thanks necessary… So. How did this whole meeting work anyway?”

“Um, the meeting consisted of me, my dad, my bully, his dad, the principal, and 3 teachers. We were all in the principal’s tiny office. The bully’s dad, uh, I’ll just refer to him as Mr. K, he had no idea what was going on, or why he was there. My dad told him it was because of all the bullying. K, the bully, started yelling – before anyone could even say what exactly he was being accused of – that I was lying and that he didn’t do anything. The principal then tried to shut the meeting down by saying that he wouldn’t be able to do anything without proof. So my dad told him he brought proof. He looked right at K and told him he had a copy of the security tape from the gas station. He told K that he showed it to the police and that I would be applying for a restraining order as soon as we left the office. Well _that_ made the principal and all of the teachers suddenly perk up and pay attention. Mr. Schue had the gall to ask me why I didn’t go talk to him or Figgins earlier if the bullying had gotten so bad. That pissed me off; so I went on a rant about all the things that he’s done, things that _everyone_ in that room, with the exception of maybe Mr. K, knew that he had done. It seemed like Mr. K could tell I was being sincere, so he tried talking to K. Oh. My. God. He blew up. K said everything was my fault, that I made him do it, and a bunch of other stuff. Figgins looked at him and was like _‘you’re admitting to this?’_ to which he denied. Then they decided to watch the tape to see what evidence we had. When the video ended… you could hear a pin drop, it was so quiet in there. Then K starts screaming about how I dress and act so much like a girl that I confused him; that I keep tempting him by wearing my skinny jeans and _that_ was the reason he kissed me in the locker room. I hadn’t mentioned that kiss to them at all. So now they’re all looking at me wondering what he’s talking about. I explained what happened that day; and told Figgins that that was the reason for the death threat. That pretty much concluded our portion of the meeting. My dad and I, along with K and his dad, had to wait outside the office while the principal and teachers got on a conference call with the superintendent and the school board to discuss adequate punishment. It came back as a unanimous vote to expel him. Afterwards, Mr. K said he was sending K to therapy and forcing him to pay me for damages to my phone,” Kurt told him.

Blaine paused to absorb all that information. “Holy… Wow, Kurt. That’s… just wow. I can’t believe that. So he just admitted to everything while simultaneously trying to _blame_ you for it?”

“Pretty much.”

“That’s _insane_. What about the restraining order? How did that go?”

“Um, I filed the paperwork to request it. They set up a hearing for Wednesday afternoon. I’ll have to go back and tell the judge why I applied and deliver my evidence then. If the judge approves my request, the R.O. will be issued effective immediately. If not, well, hopefully that won’t happen.”

“Do you think maybe one of your teachers that was in that meeting with you today would go with you to act as additional evidence – like a character witness, or whatever? I mean, the police told your dad the video _should_ be plenty to approve the request, but it couldn’t hurt to have extra support, right?” Blaine inquired.

“That’s actually a really good idea. See, you are all kinds of helpful!” Kurt said, enthusiastically.

Kurt heard footsteps on the stairs. Then Rachel’s voice was in his ear. “What’s a really good idea?”

“Gagging you with duct tape, of course,” Kurt replied, in an overly sweet voice, batting his eyelashes at her.

Blaine could be heard laughing loudly through the phone’s earpiece.

“That wasn’t funny, Kurt,” she huffed. “You’re still talking to your mystery man?”

Kurt sighed loudly. “Rachel –”

“I know, I know. You don’t have a secret boyfriend,” she interrupted, rolling her eyes and sitting down at the table across from him.

“Uh, Rach, is there something you needed? ‘Cause I was sort of having a conversation here. A _private_ conversation,” he asked, eyeing her curiously.

She sighed dramatically. “Finn’s ignoring me. I was trying to be all affectionate with him, and he kept turning away telling me he wanted to watch the movie. So, I figured I’d come check on you.”

“Well, I, for one, am grateful that Finn doesn’t feel like making out with you on _my_ bed. So, I can’t give you any sympathy there, sorry. But, uh, can’t you just enjoy watching the movie with him? So I can continue my conversation in private?” Kurt asked her.

“I just don’t understand why you won’t talk to me about this guy that you’ve been talking to? I didn’t even know you knew any gay guys, except for my dads. You know I’d be happy for you, right? You deserve a boyfriend that makes you happy. And I can tell this guy makes you happy. So why all the secrecy? … Oh, no. Kurt! He’s not _out_ , is he? That’s why you don’t want me to know who it is! Oh my god! I’m so sorry! Okay, I’ll stop bugging you, I swear. Oh, Kurt! I’m sorry! I’ll just go finish watching that movie now,” she rushed out in one breath, then hurried back upstairs.

“Did that really just happen?” Blaine asked Kurt, when he heard Rachel stop talking.

“Yes. Yes it did.”

“Okay! I love how she forgot to mention _me_ when talking about gay guys. And I’m also guessing that certain things were left out of the story she was told about the bully, since he wasn’t mentioned either.”

“Yes; but you have to remember, she’s the one that told me you had a long-term girlfriend, so naturally, she wouldn’t list you as gay. And you would be correct in guessing that she received an edited version of the bully story. You and my stepmother are the only people that were not in that office this morning that know the _whole_ truth. Not even my brother knows everything. I’m trying to refrain from publicly outing him as much as possible. You don’t actually know the guy. And as a gay guy yourself, I’m sure you understand how crucial it is for a person to come out on their own terms, and therefore are less likely to spread rumors. Whereas, if Rachel, Finn, or any of my other friends knew the whole truth, it would spread around school like wildfire, even if they didn’t intend for it to,” Kurt replied.

“This is all true. I mean, I was out to my family for _months_ before I told anyone else. I wasn’t quite ready for the school to know; but one of my former friends found out – still not sure how – and then suddenly _everyone_ knew. So, yes, as someone who has been publicly outed before they were ready, I definitely understand the impact it can have and would not purposefully subject anyone to that,” Blaine told him.

“I’m really sorry to hear that.”

“Thanks… Can I ask a sort of random question?”

“Sure.”

“How exactly did the topic of me having a girlfriend come up between you and Rachel? I mean, I know I specifically asked Rachel if you were gay, but how or why did my sexuality get mentioned to you? Did you ask her? Or maybe say something that had her believe you were curious?” Blaine questioned.

“Uh, I’m pretty sure I just asked her about her weekend – how she felt having you home, and if you guys did anything fun. Her response was that she hardly noticed your presence since you were hiding in your room talking to your girlfriend on the phone the whole time, or something like that. Looking back on it, knowing what I know now, it was basically as if I had asked _‘did you and Blaine have fun this weekend?’_ and her yelling _‘he’s straight!’_ as an answer. I mean, it just kinda came out of nowhere, ya know?”

“Huh.”

“I almost mentioned it to you when I saw you at the Lima Bean too. Like, telling you to say hi to your girlfriend for me just before you left, but I figured that’d be weird since I barely knew you and I definitely didn’t know her,” Kurt justified.

“The Lima Bean… Oh, god, Kurt. That whole almost-panic-attack you had in my kitchen; that was because of the bully, wasn’t it? Because of what he did in the locker room? And here I am, a complete stranger, telling you I could kiss you for giving me non-vegan ice cream after you recently experienced an attack like that. Oh my god. I am so sorry. I feel like a total idiot that I didn’t realize this ‘til just now. I am so sorry about that!”

“Hey! Didn’t I tell you it wasn’t your fault? There is no way you could have known what happened to me. You had no idea that’s how I’d react. Hell, _I_ had no idea that’s how I’d react! When you said that… All of a sudden, I was experiencing flashbacks. It just caught me off guard. But, like I said, it _wasn’t_ your fault. You didn’t do anything wrong, and there is no reason for you to feel guilty. _He_ is the only one who should have a guilty conscience. Also, in case you don’t recall, I was already feeling mostly back to myself and making light of the whole thing when I left your house a few minutes later.” Kurt paused, unsure if he should add the thoughts running through his head. He decided to throw caution to the wind and risk it – phrasing it in a way that he could get his meaning across, but also be subtle enough for plausible deniability in case Blaine rejected him. “And now that I actually know you better… I’m _positive_ that if you were to make that comment to me _now_ , you would get a _very_ different response from me,” he added, coyly.

“I see,” Blaine said, sounding bashful.

Taking that as a good sign, he continued with their conversation. “Can I ask why you were wondering about how your sexuality came up? I know you said it was a random question, but there had to be a reason, right?” Kurt asked.

“Oh. Um… Well, I guess it was because of what Rachel said earlier, about you not knowing any gay guys except our dads. I think I’m still trying to figure out Rachel’s motives for lying to both of us. Especially since she seems like she _wants_ you to have another gay guy in your life; as a friend or a boyfriend. You know?” Blaine told him. In a shy, almost inaudible voice he added, “And I guess I was sort of hoping that maybe you’d asked her about me because you were curious…like I was about you.”

“Ah! I see. To be honest, I _was_ a little curious; but I didn’t feel comfortable flat-out asking her for a number of reasons,” he replied. “As far as Rachel’s motives…I think I stopped trying to figure out the inner workings of Rachel Berry’s head a long time ago. I’ve learned it’s best to just go with the flow when it comes to her.”

Blaine chuckled. “I suppose you’re right.”

Kurt could hear knocking on a door on Blaine’s end of the line, and then a voice that sounded slightly familiar asked, “Is it safe for me to return?”

“Yes, Jeff. I told you, you didn’t have to leave. This is your room too,” Blaine said.

“I know, but I was being respectful of your privacy. I know you had some sensitive topics to discuss,” Jeff told him.

“Aw, that was really sweet of him. And such the polar opposite of how Rachel has been treating me,” Kurt said.

Blaine giggled at that. “Yes, my roommate can be a total sweetheart at times. He’s _much_ better at respecting boundaries than my sister.”

“Did his girlfriend like her flowers? Today was her birthday, right?” Kurt asked.

“Uh, yeah, it was. Huh. You know, I never asked him that? Hey Jeff, Kurt wants to know if Lisa liked her flowers.”

“She loved them! I had them delivered to her homeroom this morning with some balloons. One of her friends took a picture of her receiving the bouquet and texted it to me. She was so thrilled that I would do that for her. She wasn’t expecting it at all since I gave her her gift last night when we went out. All of her friends were totally jealous that her boyfriend is so much better than theirs. I definitely earned me some _major_ bonus points on that one,” Jeff responded.

“You heard all that, right?” Blaine asked Kurt.

“Yes, I did.”

Rachel entered the kitchen again, this time followed closely by Finn. “Finn’s gonna drive me home now. I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” she leaned close to the phone’s mouthpiece and added, “Bye, Mystery Man. Take care of my Kurtie for me.”

“Bye, Rachel,” Kurt said. Once her and Finn left, Kurt headed back up to his room. “Your sister is insane.”

“She is. But just be grateful that you’ve been talking to me and not some actual mystery man that would probably be scared away by all her crazy,” Blaine joked.

Kurt laughed at that. “Oh, god. Yeah, I’m definitely glad that it was you I’ve been talking to – that way you can’t tell me my friends are too insane for you to deal with and that you never want to talk to me again. I’d miss you too much if you did. I like talking to you. But, uh, unfortunately, I think I should get going now. I didn’t even realize how late it was ‘til Rachel left.”

“Yeah, I guess it is pretty late. Um, I’ll talk to you later sometime then?” he asked, unsure.

“Of course. Goodnight, Mystery Man,” Kurt teased.

“Goodnight,” Blaine giggled.


	9. Chapter 9

Rumors of Dave Karofsky’s expulsion were flying around McKinley High. People would point and stare at Kurt as he walked down the hall, whispering to each other. He tuned them all out. He was used to the strange looks and whispers behind his back. Kurt was just happy that none of the rumors included anything about Karofsky’s sexuality, or what _really_ happened in that locker room. Most of the rumors were about how Karofsky supposedly beat-up Kurt or threatened him with a knife. There were some rumors about Dave having to go to therapy as well, though none came close to the real reason as to why he was attending. Kurt didn’t bother answering any questions he was asked about the situation, choosing to ignore it all and hope that the student body would find a new piece of gossip to latch onto soon.

Kurt was relieved when school ended, and he headed straight for the choir room. The kids in Glee Club had all heard the real, although edited, version of Karofsky’s expulsion. He could just relax there and not worry about the strange looks and crazy questions. He took his seat behind Rachel and waited for rehearsal to begin.

Mr. Schuester walked into the classroom and waited for everyone to arrive before he spoke to the room. “We have a little over a week until Sectionals next weekend. We are going to have to put in some extra hours to make sure our performance is top-notch. I have been working hard on putting together a setlist for this competition – arranging songs and choreography so that we can showcase everyone’s talents.

“For our opening number,” he continued, “we will be doing Lara Fabian’s _‘I Will Love Again’_. Even though it’s our solo ballad, it’s got a beat we can all dance to. Rachel, I’m gonna have you on lead vocals for this song; and Brittany, Mike, Santana, and Sam will be our featured dancers.

“I thought I’d try a little something different for our duet. I want to have Kurt and Rachel take the leads on _‘Music Of My Heart’_ by ‘NSync & Gloria Estefan. I really think the two of you will be able to do amazing things with this song.

“And for our closing number,” he concluded, “a group song, where each of you will have at least one line of featured vocals; although those of you who are Seniors will be featured more heavily than others. This is another song that will have a lot of heavy choreography. We have had huge success performing songs by this artist in the past and I believe that this time will be no different. You all have been begging me to let you perform this song, so your wish is my command. Our final number will be _‘Bad Romance’_ by Lady Gaga.”

Everyone in the room seemed both surprised and elated by the news. Kurt thought for sure he would just be doing background vocals and harmonies for the entire competition. So to hear that he would not only have several featured lines in one of his favorite songs, but would be doing the duet with Rachel, was unheard of.

Mr. Schuester started handing out sheet music for their closing number with everyone’s parts highlighted. He wanted to run through the song a few times before showing them any of the choreography he had planned for them.

They spent the entire rehearsal focusing on their Lady Gaga number; fixing the arrangement, trading lines, and getting the harmonies down. Kurt spent several minutes working with Santana on the French lyrics she’d be singing. He was helping her with proper pronunciation and articulation of the lyrics, so that she didn’t accidentally sing the wrong words.

Rehearsal lasted 30 minutes longer than usual, but they were all extremely happy with the results of their work so far. Mr. Schuester had made arrangements for extra rehearsals, in addition to making booty camp – which was Mr. Schuester’s name for their dance practices – mandatory for _all_ members of Glee Club, and not _just_ those that needed extra help, for the next week and a half.

“I think we’re done for today. We’ll continue to work on this song tomorrow in class, and then at Thursday’s rehearsal I want to start to focus on the duet. Good job today, everyone!” Mr. Schuester said as he dismissed the group.

~*~

Blaine was getting ready to leave the practice room at the end of Warbler rehearsal when Trent and Jeff stopped him. “We need to talk,” Trent told him.

“Uh, sure. What about?” Blaine looked between the two of them for clues.

“Kurt,” Jeff answered.

Blaine’s face showed confusion at their response. “What about him?”

The three of them headed across the Dalton campus, and into the dorms. They sat down in Blaine and Jeff’s shared dorm room before continuing their conversation.

“Well? What about Kurt? What did you want to discuss?” Blaine asked again.

“I wasn’t eavesdropping on purpose, but sometimes being in close quarters with someone, it’s inevitable that you will pick up on certain parts of their conversations,” Jeff started. “I guess we’re just curious about why it seems like you are hiding your friendship with Kurt from your sister. Or was I completely misunderstanding all of that?”

“Oh. Uh, no. There’s no misunderstanding there. She doesn’t know we’ve been talking to each other. Um, it’s sort of hard to explain,” he told them.

“She knows that you guys know each other at least, right? So why wouldn’t you be able to tell her that you are friends?” Trent questioned.

“Yeah, she knows that we met. …Okay, let me try and explain from the beginning. Kurt and I met at my house about a week-and-a-half ago, when I went home for the long weekend. Rachel was upstairs in her room, and Kurt was in the kitchen getting a drink. I talked to him for about a half hour or so, then his dad called, and he had to leave.

“As far as Rachel knows, that is the only time we’ve ever talked,” Blaine added. “But I actually saw him again that Monday, just before I came back to the dorms. I stopped for a coffee at the place by my house and saw him sitting alone. I went over to say hi, but only spoke to him for a few short minutes. I didn’t tell Rachel about it, because, well, I’m not sure why I didn’t tell her. But apparently, Kurt didn’t either. Anyway, that was the end of my interaction with him until he came here on Wednesday,” Blaine explained.

“Okay. I’m still a little confused. Why can’t you just tell Rachel that he came to see you Wednesday, and that you’ve been in contact since?” Jeff asked.

“We can’t really explain how we’ve been in contact without explaining his visit here, and neither one of us want to explain to her his reasons for coming here. You’ve both met my sister. She’s a little intense sometimes,” he reasoned.

“What were his reasons? I mean, if you guys had barely even talked, why would he suddenly show up a few days later to speak to you about something that he can’t tell Rachel about?” Trent asked, confused.

Blaine winced. “Um, technically, he didn’t come here to see me,” he said, nervously.

“I think you lost me on this one…” Jeff stated.

“Please don’t get mad,” Blaine said, apprehensively

“Get mad about what?” Trent asked him.

Blaine sighed. “New Directions got their Sectionals line-up the day before he came. Rachel was making a fuss about not wanting to compete against us, but she never told them _why_. For some reason she doesn’t want anyone in her Glee Club to know that I’m a Warbler. Well, a bunch of the guys were wondering what it was about us that was freaking Rachel out so much. So, they sort of pressured Kurt – against his will might I add – into coming here to spy on us.”

“That’s why he freaked and ran from the room when you saw him!” Jeff exclaimed.

Blaine nodded. “Yes. But that song that Nick was singing wasn’t part of our Sectionals setlist; it was an old routine that even Rachel has seen us perform before, so it’s not like Kurt learned anything useful. And if Rachel found out he was here, attempting to spy, she would go absolutely _crazy_. Not just because he found out I was a Warbler, but for other reasons as well; neither one of us really wants to deal with that – especially with a competition coming up. In fact, Kurt was so against spying in the first place, that when he went back to McKinley and the guys asked him about us and what he learned, he told them that he couldn’t get past the front gate. So, _none_ of his teammates know anything about us – other than Rachel; but she doesn’t know anything about our Sectionals setlist or anything like that.”

“So basically, unless you want to let Rachel know he was here spying, there is no way to explain how the two of you suddenly have each other’s phone numbers or why you’re keeping in contact,” Trent said.

“That makes sense. But you guys have been talking about some really serious, personal topics as well. And I get the impression that Rachel isn’t privy to that information either,” Jeff said.

“Yeah. When I caught up to Kurt, after he ran out, I could tell there was something else bothering him. Something _more_ than just getting caught spying. So we sat down and talked for a little while. It was easier for him to talk to me because I don’t know the other people involved; I’m unbiased in that regard. Plus, with me also being gay, I am able to relate to _some_ of the things he was talking about – things his other friends can’t seem to understand. So, I gave him my phone number before he left, and as you are both aware, he’s been using it ever since. My sister knows _some_ of what he’s told me, but there are some parts that he edited out of the version he told her. It’s not that he doesn’t trust her, but there are factors that are preventing him from letting her know _everything_.”

“How are you guys planning on handling this though? You can’t really keep your friendship a secret forever; especially if you want to upgrade the relationship status to boyfriend, which I know you do. And from the way you talk about him, I think he does too,” Trent asked him.

Blaine blushed at that comment. “After Sectionals we are going to sit down with Rachel and have a _long_ talk. I don’t just mean about Kurt and I becoming friends, or _hopefully_ more, but also about her lying to both of us.”

“Lying to you? About what?” Trent questioned.

“For some reason that neither Kurt nor I can understand, Rachel told each of us that the other one was straight,” Blaine said.

“What?” Jeff and Trent said at the same time.

“Right after he left our house, I specifically asked Rachel if Kurt was gay. She told me that he was straight and did not play for my team. Then she yelled at me about stereotyping and making snap judgments. When I asked her if her boyfriend was okay with her being so close to his brother, she told me that Kurt was shallow, and only dated blondes with big boobs,” Blaine explained.

“That’s why when you came back here that weekend, you told me the guy you were crushing on was straight. Because Rachel lied to you,” Jeff said, understanding.

“Wait. Before you continue, Kurt and her boyfriend are brothers?” Trent asked.

“Well, stepbrothers, but yes. Anyway, later on, Kurt had asked Rachel if we had done anything fun while I was at home that weekend. She made up some story about me spending the whole weekend talking on the phone with my _girlfriend_. She even told him some bullshit about me planning on asking this imaginary girlfriend of mine to marry me after graduation.”

“Seriously? That’s a bit insane, isn’t it?” Jeff questioned.

“It is. That’s why when Kurt was here last week and he mentioned something about being gay, I had to stop him and make sure I heard him right. And he did the same thing when I told him I was also gay,” Blaine told them. “We just can’t seem to figure out why she lied to both of us.”

“I don’t know, dude. So you’re gonna talk to her about all this after Sectionals?” Jeff wondered.

“Yes. There is no way that I want to start a huge fight with my sister right before a competition. This discussion can wait another week-and-a-half. Until then, we pretend that we barely know each other around her,” Blaine answered.

\---

Trent, Blaine, and Jeff had just returned to Blaine’s dorm room after eating dinner. “There was another thing we wanted to talk to you about regarding Kurt,” Trent told Blaine.

“Um, okay. Shoot,” Blaine replied.

“We all know how much you like him. But I guess we were wondering if he’s given you any indication that those feelings are returned? I mean, it sort of sounds like he has, but you haven’t really said for sure if he does or not. We only ask because we don’t want to see you get hurt,” Trent divulged.

“I don’t know for sure. But I _think_ they might be. I mean, obviously, I haven’t told him I like him – not in those words anyway – so it’s not like we’ve discussed it. Sometimes, he’ll say something that will make me think he likes me back, and other times I think maybe I’m just reading too much into it. Like yesterday, Rachel was at his house when I called, and she was teasing him about the fact that he was smiling and blushing when he answered the phone. So, do I look at that as him possibly liking me, or is it just my sister being a jerk?” Blaine said, unsure.

“Can you give an example of something _he_ actually said though? And maybe tell us if or why it made you unsure of his intent?” Jeff asked.

Blaine let out a deep breath. “Uh… Oh! Um, when I was on the phone with him the other day, Rachel had called him on the other line. So, I let him go so he could talk to her; but afterward, he texted me with a sad face ‘cause I didn’t give him the opportunity to say goodnight. He also told me that he would have rather continued _our_ conversation, than switching over to talk to her. Uh, I want to believe that means he likes me, but maybe he just liked the topic of our conversation better? Or the fact that I wasn’t annoying and teasing him like Rachel was?” he wondered, biting his lip.

“Hmm, to me, that sounds like he was into _you_ , not the conversation. I mean, why would he be sad that he couldn’t say goodnight if he just thought you were less annoying?” Trent reasoned.

“I agree, dude. But you can always let us talk to him and find out for you,” Jeff teased.

“Yeah, you should totally let us talk to him! Then we can interpret not only what is being said, but _how_ it is being said,” Trent agreed.

Jeff and Trent high-fived each other for their brilliant plan.

Blaine looked between the two of them. “You’re not going to drop this until I agree, are you?”

“Nope!” they said in unison.

“Fine.” Blaine took out his phone and dialed Kurt. He put it on speakerphone so everyone could hear the conversation.

Kurt answered on the third ring.

“Hey, Blaine! This is a pleasant surprise. What’s up?”

“Hi, Kurt. Before this conversation goes any further, I’m warning you, you are on speakerphone and both my best friend and my roommate are listening.”

“Uh, Okay. Why? Do they not have lives of their own?” Kurt teased.

“Hey!” Jeff exclaimed.

Blaine laughed. “Nope, not really.”

“Actually, we were curious about you, and Blaine here won’t let us talk to you without him present,” Trent answered. “I’m Trent by the way. Hello, Kurt, it’s nice to finally pseudo-meet you.”

“Hello, Trent. It’s nice to meet you as well,” Kurt replied.

“Kurt, is it just my phone, or are you using speakerphone as well? I can sort of hear a bit of an echo,” Blaine asked.

“Yes, I’m using speakerphone too. I broke my Bluetooth, and I’m in the car driving home from Rachel’s house,” Kurt responded.

“You were at my house? What for?” Blaine wondered.

“Because it’s where Rachel lives?” Kurt chuckled.

“Yeah, Blainey! Duh!” Jeff teased.

“Shut up,” Blaine told Jeff as he smacked his arm.

“Kurt, he’s being mean to me, make him stop!” Jeff whined.

“Sorry, Jeff, no can do. You were mean to him the other day. What goes around comes around,” Kurt explained.

Blaine stuck his tongue out at Jeff.

“Do I want to know what y’all are talking about?” Trent asked, looking around the room.

“Just talking about Jeff’s inappropriate and offensive humor, to which he has yet to apologize for; at least, to the best of my knowledge anyway,” Kurt remarked.

“Oh, so nothing out of the ordinary,” Trent commented.

“I’m home, so I’m taking you guys off speaker now,” Kurt said.

“So, Kurt, how are the New Directions doing? Have any cool surprises planned for Sectionals that you want to tell us about?” Jeff goaded.

Kurt laughed loudly at that. “Sorry, Jeff. I’m not at liberty to discuss such things.”

The boys heard some shuffling and then Finn’s voice could be heard talking to Kurt. “Who’s Jeff? I don’t know anyone named Jeff.”

“Jeff is a friend,” Kurt told him.

“Is he the guy you were talking to last night? The one Rachel said was your boyfriend?” Finn asked.

“No, Finn. I was not talking to Jeff yesterday. I also don’t have a boyfriend,” Kurt said, exasperated.

“Then who were you talking to yesterday?” Finn questioned.

“A different friend,” Kurt replied.

“Then why did Rachel tell me you were talking to your boyfriend? She said that you were all happy and stuff. And she called you ‘Kurtie’ to the guy and you didn’t even yell at her like you normally do. Instead your face got all red and you were smiling,” Finn said.

“I don’t know why Rachel says the things that she says. But I don’t have a boyfriend,” Kurt told him.

“But if you did have a boyfriend, you’d tell me, right?” Finn asked. “I know I don’t always understand a lot of stuff, but you can talk to me. I wasn’t there for you when all that stuff at school happened, but I can be there for you now – make sure this guy doesn’t hurt you or whatever. As long as he’s not a jerk, you know I’d be happy for you. We’re brothers.”

“Yeah, Finn. I know,” he said. “But you don’t have to worry about me. The friend I was talking to last night is definitely not a jerk. He wouldn’t intentionally hurt me. And as of right now, I’m very single. But I promise I’ll let you know if my relationship status ever changes. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to finish this conversation upstairs. In my room. Alone.”

Once Kurt was in his room with the door closed, he turned his attention back to the three boys on the phone.

“Sorry about that. My brother is a little dense sometimes,” Kurt remarked.

Jeff and Trent had been sharing poignant looks while grinning at Blaine because of Finn’s comments.

“It’s more than okay, Kurt. We understand,” Trent said.

“Yeah; Blaine was telling us earlier about why you don’t want Rachel to know that the two of you have been chatting,” Jeff began. “Don’t worry, we’re not going to turn you in for attempting to spy or anything. I just meant that Trent and I have both met Rachel, so we know how she can get about things like that. So, it’s all good. Really. Though I am curious how the boyfriend angle came about,” he teased.

Kurt groaned softly. “Ugh…okay, so, the other day, Rachel had asked me where I took off to after school on Thursday; because I was in a bit of a rush to leave when Glee ended, and Finn later told her that I didn’t get home until after 10 pm that night. I couldn’t tell her I was meeting Blaine. And I _definitely_ couldn’t tell her what I was meeting him _about_. So, I just told her that I had to meet with someone to discuss something personal. And when I refused to give her any more info, she just assumed I was being quiet about it because I was on a date, and that I didn’t want to say anything because I was still trying to figure out the relationship or something. I’m not sure how she came to that conclusion because her rationale doesn’t always make sense. And she wouldn’t believe me when I told her it wasn’t like that. So now she’s convinced I have a secret boyfriend and keeps pestering me for information about him.”

“Maybe I’m missing something, but why couldn’t you tell her what you were meeting Blaine about?” Trent asked, curiously. “It wasn’t Glee Club related, right? Or have anything to do with Blaine or her specifically? Couldn’t you say what you were talking about without telling her _who_ you were talking to?”

“No…” Kurt hesitated. “Without going into details, something happened on my way home from Dalton on Wednesday. I needed to vent about it; Blaine had offered a friendly ear earlier that day, so I called him up because I didn’t know who else I could talk to. I asked him to meet me to discuss it because I didn’t want to talk about it over the phone. There are certain parts of that story that I _can’t_ tell Rachel – or even any of my other friends – about; for a number of reasons. But without those parts included, the story doesn’t make sense, and I sound like I’m whining over nothing. Blaine, however, is removed enough from the situation that I could tell him those details without _too_ much consequence.”

“Oh, okay,” Trent replied. “Can I just ask…is everything okay now?”

“Yeah. Blaine helped me out a lot – gave me some advice and just _listened_. I’m not really used to people doing that. Usually, people talk over me or dismiss what I say. There are still some minor details that need to be addressed, but I am in a much, _much_ better place now. And I have Blaine to thank for that,” Kurt told him, smile evident in his voice.

“So, um, you said you were at my house with Rachel,” Blaine said, trying to change the subject. “What were you guys doing? I mean, didn’t she just spend, like, _all_ day at your house yesterday? And you were with her at school and at rehearsal today too, right? I thought you’d be sick of her by now.”

Kurt laughed, grateful for the change of topic. “Yeah, well, I was able to pass her off to Finn for a few hours yesterday. So I did get some sort of reprieve. And as for why I was with her after rehearsal today, that is confidential information.”

“Ah! So it was Glee Club related,” Blaine guessed.

“Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner!” Kurt chuckled. “But I also helped your dads make dinner too, since I was there so late. We made veggie burgers and home fries. LeRoy even snuck me a few slices of real cheese for my burger.”

“Papa shared his secret stash of dairy products with you?” Blaine asked, unbelieving.

“Of course. Your dads _love_ me. Not that I can blame them. I _am_ pretty awesome,” Kurt answered in a cheeky tone.

“Which brings us back to the reason we called!” Trent said, excitedly. “We want to learn all about how awesome you really are. Blaine is being very tight-lipped about you, and it has piqued our curiosity.”

“I see. Well, what exactly do you want to know?” Kurt asked.

“Okay. So, we know you are a Senior, like us,” Jeff began.

Kurt cut him off before he could continue. “Wait. You said, ‘like _us_ ’. Are you referring to just you and Trent? Or are you including Blaine in that?”

“I’m a Senior too,” Blaine replied, pouting.

“You are? It’s just… Whenever Rachel mentions you, she always calls you her _younger_ brother or her _little_ brother. So, I guess I just assumed you were a Junior or something. Not sure why I never asked you about that.”

“I’m two _months_ younger than her,” Blaine told him. “But because she was born in December, we were technically born in different years, and she likes to pretend that means that she’s a whole year older. She also thinks her being older makes her _superior_ , so she constantly boasts about it. But we’re actually the same age.”

“That makes sense…” Kurt murmured. “After all, Finn calls me his little brother, and I’m older than him; he’s just taller.”

“Anyway… As I was saying,” Jeff continued. “We know you are a Senior. You are openly gay. You are a member of the New Directions. Your brother is actually your stepbrother, and he’s dating Rachel. Oh! And you have a really good memory since you asked about Lisa’s birthday even though you never met her. I think that’s about it though.”

“I didn’t hear a question in there,” Kurt told him.

“Well, what else can you tell us about you? Other than New Directions, are you in any clubs or on any teams? What do you like to do for fun?” Jeff asked.

“No other clubs or teams. Not anymore, anyway. Other than sing, I enjoy designing and sewing my own clothing. I also like cooking and baking. And I like helping my dad out in his shop,” Kurt replied.

“Oh, that’s right. Blaine did also mention you were very fashionable,” Jeff said.

“Did he?” Kurt said, intrigued.

“Yeah, I think his exact words were ‘incredible fashion sense’. But it was said in a very positive way,” Jeff replied, while ignoring the daggers that Blaine was staring into him.

“Well, it’s the truth. But it was still sweet of him to notice,” Kurt said, playfully. “I wish I could say the same, but the only times that I’ve seen him in person, he was wearing his Dalton uniform. Though, when I saw him at McKinley and at his house, he wasn’t wearing the blazer or tie, so I didn’t realize it _was_ his Dalton uniform until I showed up to your school last week. And the photos around the Berry household aren’t exactly the best to judge someone’s taste in fashion. So, I’m not sure what his fashion sense is like. But maybe one day, I’ll get a peek at his personal style. I just hope he has better taste in clothes than his sister.”

“Of course I do!” Blaine answered, offended. “And I wasn’t wearing my uniform at the Lima Bean when you saw me there. But I did have a long peacoat on, so that’s probably why you couldn’t see my outfit.”

While Jeff poked Blaine and silently teased him about Kurt’s response, Trent attempted to move the conversation forward. “About clubs and teams other than Glee… You said ‘not anymore’. So what clubs _were_ you in? And also, what type of shop does your dad have?”

“Oh, I used to be the kicker for the football team, and I was also a cheerleader. My dad is a mechanic. He owns Hummel Tires & Lube. I help him out with all kinds of car maintenance and repairs,” Kurt told them. “I may not look it, but I’m quite skilled with a set of tools.”

Before any of them could comment or ask anything else, they heard Kurt scream out in frustration. “Oh my god, Rachel! Leave me alone! … Blaine, I love your sister, dearly. I do. But if she doesn’t stop texting me right now, I’m going to kill her.”

Blaine chuckled at that. “I’m sorry. Weren’t you just with her not even 30 minutes ago? You’ve been together pretty much all day. What could she possibly be texting you about?”

“She has sent me at least 25 texts since I’ve gotten home. All of them are about Sectionals. I hate to say this, but I gotta go. If I don’t respond to her, she will be unbearable tomorrow. I need to keep the peace with her at least until next Saturday. I’m so sorry,” Kurt told him, sadly.

“I understand. Your sanity is more important than my friends’ curiosity about you. Goodnight, Kurt.”

“Goodnight, Blaine. I’ll try to text you later…once I’m able to ditch your sister that is – _if_ I’m able to ditch her. Jeff, Trent, it was nice talking to you both. Have a good night,” Kurt replied.

“Bye, Kurt!” Trent and Jeff said together.

Blaine hung up his phone and saw his friends smirking at him.

“Oh yeah, he definitely likes you, dude,” Jeff told him.


	10. Chapter 10

Kurt found Coach Beiste in her office before first period. “Hey, Coach. Can I talk to you for a second?” he asked.

“Sure, Punkin. What can I do you for?” she responded.

“I have an appointment at the courthouse this afternoon, about the restraining order for Karofsky,” he began. “I was wondering if you are free and might be willing to come with me?”

“I’m free. What do you need me to do?” she asked.

“Well, the judge is going to want some information about why I’m requesting the R.O., so I thought you might be able to give a statement about the behavior he displayed in Figgins’s office on Monday, as well as his confession of the physical, verbal, and _other_ assault against me.”

“I can do that. Just let me know when and where.”

Kurt handed her a copy of his appointment slip that had the floor and room number of the courthouse and the start time of the hearing. He thanked her then headed toward his first class of the day.

\---

Kurt arrived at Glee a few minutes before the bell. He saw Mr. Schuester looking through piles of sheet music at the piano. “Mr. Schue?” Kurt asked, to get his attention.

“Oh. Hi, Kurt. You’re a bit early, aren’t you? I didn’t even hear the bell yet,” he said.

“I just wanted to ask you something before class began. I was wondering if you are free this afternoon, after school?”

“I have to cover detention until 5. Why? You want to work on your duet for Sectionals? I think Rachel already reserved the auditorium, so the two of you should be good; unless you needed extra help with it?” he asked Kurt.

“Oh. No, I was just wondering about something else. It’s no big deal,” Kurt said, dismissively.

“Well, what was it? You know you can talk to me, right?” Mr. Schuester told him.

“Yeah, it’s just, I just have my hearing today for the restraining order against Karofsky. I was told statements from people that have witnessed his harassment might help to ensure my application gets approved. But if you’re busy, it’s okay. Coach Beiste said she’d be there,” Kurt replied.

“I’m sorry that I can’t make it. How about if I write out a statement during my free period, and then you can pick it up here before you leave? Would that help?” he asked.

“I’m sure it couldn’t hurt,” Kurt said gratefully. “Thank you.”

The bell rang and Kurt quickly took his seat waiting for class to begin.

\---

When Glee let out, Rachel walked over to Kurt. “I have the auditorium reserved for us after school until 8 pm. We can continue to work on our duet, as well as the choreography,” she told him.

“Rachel, I can’t today – not right away anyway. I have an appointment downtown that I _cannot_ miss. I don’t know how long it will take, but I can possibly work on the duet after,” he said.

“Kurt, this is important. We only have a week to get this perfect!” she tried to reason.

Kurt sighed. “I _know_ , Rachel. But this appointment is even _more_ important. My dad is going to be waiting for me, so I _have_ to go. But I’ll text you when I’m done and if you’re still here, I’ll come back and we can practice ‘til they kick us out. Okay?”

“Fine! But you _better_ not take too long!” she huffed then walked out.

\---

The last bell of the day had finally rung. Kurt was at his locker gathering the books he needed to bring home for his homework tonight, when Sue Sylvester approached him. “Hello, Porcelain. I heard you had asked She Hulk and Butt Chin to attend your hearing today. I’m offended that you didn’t bother to ask me. But I’m willing to ignore that and show up to testify anyway.”

“Thanks, Coach. I’m sorry I didn’t ask you, but I knew you had Cheerios practice today, so I thought you wouldn’t be able to make it,” Kurt said, sincerely.

Sue waved him off. “I can leave Becky in charge. I already copied down the information you gave to Dick Butkus, so you can expect to see me there,” she told him, before walking down the hall toward the gymnasium.

Kurt picked up his written statement from Mr. Schuester before walking out to the parking lot. He got into his car and drove to the courthouse. He met his dad inside the lobby, and they headed up to the room where his hearing would be.

Burt was a little surprised to see the football coach sitting on a bench in the hallway outside their assigned room. Kurt explained that she was there to give a statement about Karofsky’s behavior that she has witnessed and the confession she heard. He said that Coach Sylvester would be coming to give a similar statement as well, and that Mr. Schuester sent a written statement in his place, since he could not be there in person.

Burt was impressed that his son had been so thorough in his preparations for this hearing. He hadn’t expected to have witness statements made but was appreciative of their support. Even though the police had told him the video was enough evidence to grant the restraining order, ultimately, it was the judge’s decision. Any additional evidence they could provide would just help to ensure that the judge didn’t overlook the incident at the gas station as a one-time occurrence.

They were called into the room just as Sue arrived. The four of them sat in silence for a few more minutes, before David Karofsky and his father, Paul, walked in and sat on the other side of the room. Kurt didn’t realize that the courthouse had contacted him about the hearing. He was glad for his father’s insistence on accompanying him. He didn’t know how he would react to being in the same room with the bully if he had been alone.

Finally, the judge entered the room and started to read the application he had been presented. He asked Kurt to describe his reasons for the request in detail. Kurt explained everything as best he could and then told the judge he had a video to submit as evidence, as well as a written statement from one of his teachers, and that two of his teachers were present to give verbal statements as well. The judge listened to their statements, asking questions, and taking notes the entire time. Then he read Mr. Schuester’s written statement aloud, before playing the DVD Kurt submitted.

When all of that was done, the judge then asked David and his father if they had anything that they would like to add – any statements or evidence that might contradict or refute anything that was just seen or heard. When neither of them spoke, the judge told Kurt his application had been approved. The judge issued a 5-year order with a no-contact stipulation – meaning Dave cannot speak to him, call him, e-mail him, or write to him – and a minimum of 300 feet distance must be maintained at all times. Both Kurt and Dave were given copies of the R.O. and were then free to go.

Kurt thanked both Coach Beiste and Coach Sue for all their help, and then left with his father. The hearing had only taken a little over an hour, so he texted Rachel to let her know he would be able to meet up with her soon.

\---

Rachel was working on her solo with the band when Kurt arrived at the auditorium. She sounded incredible and only looked at the lyric sheet once. He started clapping when she finished that run through.

“Sounding good, Rach! You could probably hold that last note a little longer but, other than that, it sounded fantastic!” Kurt told her, as he walked down the aisle toward the stage.

“There were a few other flaws in that performance as well. But I can work on those by myself at home later. You’re here now, so we should start working on the duet. We have the band ‘til 5. After that we’ll have to go back to using the recording,” Rachel said, as she swapped out her sheet music.

Kurt took out his sheet music and made sure the band knew which song they were practicing. They took their positions on the stage and started their run through. Kurt began to sing and realized the band was playing the song at a slightly different tempo than the recording that he and Rachel had been given by Mr. Schuester to practice the duet with. Since all of the choreography that Mr. Schue had been working on was timed to the recording, the band adjusted their sheet music accordingly, and they started the run through again.

When 5 pm rolled around the band took their leave. Rachel queued up the recording and prepared to run through the song again. Kurt told her he needed a water break before they continued and went into the hallway to use the drinking fountain. When he returned, he saw Rachel holding his phone.

“What are you doing?” he asked her.

Rachel quickly put both of her hands behind her back. She looked at Kurt with wide eyes. “Nothing! I wasn’t doing anything,” she said, hastily.

“Why do you have my phone?” he asked, with a bit of irritation in his voice.

She took a few steps backwards and tried to place Kurt’s phone on top of the piano without letting him see it, so she could show him her empty hands. “Phone? What phone? I don’t have any phone,” she replied, unconvincingly.

“Rachel. I _saw_ my phone in your hand. Why? What were you doing with it?” Kurt asked, getting upset.

Rachel sighed. “I’m sorry, Kurt! I just wanted to see if I could find out any information about your mystery man since you aren’t telling me anything! I thought if I looked through his messages, I’d find a few clues; like his first name at least. Or maybe even a picture, if I was lucky. I didn’t mean to pry. I know I said I’d leave it alone, but I just don’t like feeling so left out. It’s as though you’ve got this whole other life that I know nothing about. I just want to know a little bit more about this guy that is obviously making my best friend so happy,” she said, rushing her words out. Rachel then put on an exaggerated pout and added, “But it’s not like it did me any good though. You changed your passcode. I couldn’t even get past the lock screen.”

Kurt pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. He took a deep breath and retrieved his phone from Rachel. “I don’t know how many times I have to tell you that I do _not_ have a boyfriend before you start believing me. But I’ll say it again… I. Do. Not. Have. A. Boyfriend. And my messages, pictures, and other contents of my phone are _private_. They are my personal business and you have no right to attempt to look through them. None!

“You want some information? Fine. Yes, I have been talking to a guy recently. Yes, he is gay. However, we are _just friends_. He helped me out with a problem that I was having, and we stayed in touch. I haven’t told you anything about him because there is _nothing to tell_. And just because I don’t want to tell you his name, doesn’t mean there is a secret romance going on. You _need_ to drop this. Please,” Kurt pleaded with her.

Rachel looked properly chastened. “Okay. I’m sorry, Kurt. But I can tell how much you like this guy. I just want you to know I’m happy for you,” she said, sadly.

Kurt looked her in the eyes with a serious expression. “Just because I like him, doesn’t mean we’re dating.”

Her eyes widened at that. “Oh my god, Kurt! Why didn’t you tell me this was an unrequited crush? I am so sorry!”

“It’s fine, Rachel. Can we just get back to rehearsing?” Kurt said, dismissively. “We only have a week to get this duet down.”

“Subject officially dropped,” she said as she walked over to the boombox to start the recording.

\---

It was nearing 8 pm when Kurt’s phone rang. He and Rachel had just finished their last run through and were discussing how to improve it for tomorrow’s rehearsal.

“That’s probably my dad wondering when I’m coming home,” he told her, abandoning their discussion to answer the call.

He smiled widely when he saw the name on the caller I.D. flash _‘Mystery Man’_. He had changed Blaine’s name on his contact list a few days ago – after Blaine had called him on Monday while Rachel was at his house – just in case Rachel happened to be looking at his phone the next time Blaine called or texted.

Rachel saw his grin and gave him a sad smile in return, which he didn’t notice. “Hey there, Mystery Man. I wasn’t expecting to hear from you today. What’s up?” Kurt asked.

Blaine laughed. “Not that I mind, but what’s with the nickname?”

“I will give you 3 guesses,” Kurt told him.

He heard Blaine sigh. “You’re with Rachel, aren’t you?”

“Got it in one!” he replied.

“I’m sorry. I can call you back later? Or tomorrow? I was just curious about the hearing earlier. I wanted to know how it went. It was today, right?” Blaine told him.

“No, it’s fine! Rachel and I are done. We were just wrapping up,” he said. Kurt then started to gather his things. He looked over at Rachel and saw her staring at him with a pained expression on her face. “Hang on a sec, Bee,” he spoke softly into the phone.

Kurt walked over to Rachel and looked her straight in the eye and took hold of her hands. “It’s _okay_ , Rachel. _I’m_ okay. You don’t have to worry about this. Honestly. I can handle it,” he told her in a calm, serious manner.

She nodded in understanding. “I just don’t want you to get hurt,” Rachel replied, quietly, trying not to be overheard.

“I appreciate that. But I’m good. I’ll see you tomorrow, Rach,” Kurt said, then made his way out to his car.

Once he was in his car, he put the phone on speaker and resumed his conversation.

“I’m sorry about that. I’m back,” he told Blaine.

“Is everything alright? I couldn’t make out what you were saying, but that talk with Rachel sounded serious. And did you call me ‘Bee’?” Blaine replied.

Kurt giggled. “Everything is fine. Your sister is still hung up on this whole secret boyfriend thing. She’s worried I’m going to get hurt because of it. I was just trying to convince her not to worry. And yes, I called you ‘Bee’. I’ve decided that it’s your new nickname.”

“Okay. If you say so. May I ask why ‘Bee’?” he asked, curiously.

“Well, it’s two-fold really. First, it has the same pronunciation as the first letter of your name. Second, you have heard the expression ‘busy as a bee’, right? Well, since you are always so busy with your clubs and activities, I thought it was fitting,” Kurt said, smugly.

“Hmm… I like it,” Blaine told him.

“Good, ‘cause I was going to continue calling you that even if you didn’t,” he said, playfully.

Blaine chuckled. “Okay… So how did the hearing go?” he asked, hesitantly.

“I meant to text you when I got out, but my head was so fuzzy from the whole thing. Then Rachel was demanding my presence, and I lost all track of time,” Kurt started. “Long story short: my application was approved. He cannot contact me at all by any means whatsoever; he must remain a _minimum_ of 300 feet away from me at all times; and the R.O. is good for 5 years. So I am officially _safe_. Of course, it’s only good in the state of Ohio, so when I go to college, I’ll have to reapply for a new one for that state – but since I already have one here, I shouldn’t have any problems getting my new application approved.”

“Kurt. That is _fantastic_ news! I’m so happy for you!” Blaine exclaimed.

“Thank you. Your idea to have my teachers there really helped a lot. Mr. Schue wasn’t able to make it, but he wrote a statement to submit to the judge; and Coach Beiste and Coach Sylvester both showed up to give statements in person. It really helped to set a backdrop for the surveillance video that I submitted, to show that it was a _recurring_ problem and not just an isolated incident. So, thank you,” Kurt said, gratefully.

“You’re very welcome, Kurt. You deserve to be safe. I’m glad that I was able to help play a small part in making that happen for you,” Blaine said.

“Not that I’m not enjoying talking to you or anything, but I just pulled up to my house. I still need to eat dinner and get all my homework done. Can the remainder of this conversation take a rain check?” he asked, a little unsure.

“Yes, of course. I’m sorry my sister is being such a tyrant with competition preparation. Go. Eat. I’ll talk to you another time. Goodnight, Kurt,” he said.

“’Night, Bee.”


	11. Chapter 11

When Kurt got home from school Friday afternoon, he went to his room and began working on his homework. After about an hour, he decided to take a break, and took out his phone to text Blaine.

**To Blaine > From Kurt:** I need a distraction from my homework. You busy?

His response came about a minute later, when his phone rang.

“I’m going to take this phone call as a ‘no’,” Kurt said, playfully, in lieu of greeting.

“That would be a correct assumption,” Blaine replied. “I’m surprised my sister isn’t forcing you and the rest of the Glee Club into extra rehearsals right now. You’ve been with her after school for hours every day this week. Sectionals is only a week away after all.”

“She has a date with Finn tonight, so she’s letting everyone off the hook,” Kurt joked. “Plus, my family always has a Friday Night Dinner that we’re all expected to attend, so Finn and I wouldn’t have been able to stay out too late anyway.”

“Does that mean Rachel is joining your family for dinner? Or is Finn missing your family dinner?”

“Neither. They’re not going out until after we eat. I have no idea what Rachel is doing until then, but Finn is in his room playing video games with some of his friends,” Kurt answered.

“And you’re doing homework? Instead of playing with them?” Blaine asked.

“Yup,” he confirmed. “I’m not really into video games all that much. And I wanted to get a head start on all my assignments instead of leaving them until later in the weekend. I have a big French project that is due on Monday, even though my teacher only assigned it today, and we really should have more than just a weekend to finish it. It’s going to take me a while to get it all done. I just needed to take a break for a little while though. So, I thought you could help distract me – keep my mind off of school.”

“I see. Well, I’m glad you wanted _me_ to be your distraction instead of one of your friends from McKinley. I was a little worried that – now that your bully situation is taken care of – you might not want to continue talking to me,” Blaine said, hesitantly.

“Of course I want to continue talking to you!” he said, adamantly. “I know he had been a big focus of a lot of our conversations, but he wasn’t the _only_ reason I was talking to you. And before you ask, Sectionals has nothing to do with why I want to talk to you either. In fact, I’d like to take a break from thinking about _that_ right now too. I just thought we could continue our conversation from when we went to dinner last week? You know, when we were just talking as a way to try to get to know each other better? I really enjoyed that. I like talking to you. Because somehow, I simultaneously feel like I’ve known you forever, and that I know hardly anything about you at the same time.”

“It’s funny, but I actually feel the same way about you,” Blaine said. “Rachel has told me literally nothing about you – with the exception of the lies she told me after I first met you. And while you have shared some deep, personal things with me, it’s those little, everyday details that I’m missing.”

“Exactly!”

“So, is there something in particular you’d like to know? Or should we just ask each other random icebreaker-style questions?”

“There is something I’m a little curious about,” Kurt began. “I know that you usually stay at Dalton for most of the school year, coming home for the occasional weekend here-and-there, but what about summer vacation? There’s been plenty of times I’ve been at your dads’ house with Rachel over the summer and you were nowhere to be seen. It couldn’t just have been a coincidence that you happened to not be home _every_ time I came over.”

“After I came out, I didn’t have any friends in Lima – with the exception of Rachel, that is. And I didn’t want to spend an entire summer at home with only my sister to keep me company. So, when my friend, Trent, had mentioned that he attended Summer Camp every year, I asked my dads if I could go too. It sounded like a lot of fun, and since it was a Theater Camp, it seemed unlikely that any of my old bullies would be there. Rachel went with me the first year – between Freshman and Sophomore year – but didn’t want to go back the following summer because she didn’t like the idea of it being a Sleepaway Camp; so my dads found a similar Day Camp that she could go to a few days a week instead.”

“Oh yeah, that’s the summer program she volunteered at that gave her the early qualification on her NYADA application, right?”

“Yup. That Day Camp has affiliations with a few different colleges and universities. NYADA is one of them. She took on a counselor role this past summer so that she’d get the leadership credentials for her application. But the year before she was a regular camper,” Blaine replied. “The camp I went to didn’t have any such affiliations, so I’m stuck with relying on my transcripts, my résumé, and my talent to get me an audition at NYADA as well as the other schools I’m applying to.”

“You plan on going to NYADA?” Kurt asked, surprised.

“I’m not sure yet. It’s definitely one of the colleges I’m considering though,” Blaine told him. “I just haven’t decided if I want to go to a performance-based college, like NYADA or AMDA, or go to an academic-based school, like Columbia or NYU, and just major in Theater there instead. I thought that, if I go to a more academic-based school, I could minor in something non-theater related; that way I sort of have something to fall back on in case the acting thing doesn’t work out. Rachel’s sort of been pushing for me to go the academic route – I think she’s afraid I might upstage her or something – but I don’t know…”

“She hasn’t seemed worried over the possibility of _me_ upstaging her,” Kurt said, sounding slightly offended. “Does she not think I’m good enough or something?”

“What do you mean? You’re applying to NYADA?” he asked.

“Yeah. Rachel seems really excited about both of us going there together too,” Kurt told him. “She keeps talking about what _we_ will do there; and how _we_ will rule the school _together_. But if she doesn’t want you to go there because she’s afraid that you’ll outshine her, I can only assume that means she thinks I don’t stand a chance at receiving the same type of praise or accolades.”

Blaine sighed into the phone. “Rachel’s not _that_ underhanded, Kurt. So, _maybe_ she’s not afraid of me upstaging her? Maybe she doesn’t want me to go to NYADA because she’s afraid I’ll embarrass her? But who knows? I haven’t even decided if I actually _want_ to go there yet or not. But I am definitely applying there, so I at least have it as an available option. Not only that, but _every_ college I’m applying to is located in New York. So, if you do end up going to NYADA – or somewhere close to it – then we’ll at least be in the same city.”

“I’m going to New York no matter what,” Kurt said. “Even if I don’t get into NYADA. It will be nice to know someone else that lives in the city besides Rachel.”

“Yeah, it definitely will.” Blaine paused for a moment then cleared his throat before switching topics. “I can’t think of any _specific_ questions that I had for you. Not at the moment anyway. I know there’s still a lot I don’t know, but I’m not even sure where to begin because I don’t know what I don’t know…if that makes sense? So, I guess that means it’s random icebreaker question time. If your wardrobe could only consist of one color for the rest of your life, which color would you choose and why?”

“What? No! You can’t make me choose only one color. That’s so not fair,” Kurt whined. “I need colors, Blaine. _Plural_. As in more than one. Also, I love prints. And I can’t have prints if there’s only _one_ color. Unless, I am allowed to have different _shades_ of the same color? But even then, it still isn’t right. And I don’t know that I _could_ choose only one. What about you? Could _you_ choose only one?”

Blaine chuckled before responding. “Probably not. My closet at home looks like a rainbow threw up on it. And almost all the clothes that I have here at school are uniforms, or they have the school name or logo on it somewhere. I think I only have about three outfits here that aren’t school endorsements of some kind. But if I _really_ had to choose… I think since practically everything I wear here is red and/or blue, I’d pick something completely different. Maybe yellow? Yellow is a happy color, and I like being happy.”

“You are a much braver man than I. I couldn’t possibly choose just one color. Not even as a hypothetical,” Kurt said. “That is something about me that you can take note of for future reference. No one messes with my wardrobe; not even theoretically.”

“Understood.”

“My turn to ask a question?” Kurt checked. Blaine hummed in confirmation, so he continued, “If you could change one characteristic of your physical appearance, what would it be and why?”

“My hair.”

“Wow, that was a fast answer. You didn’t even have to think about that, did you? What’s wrong with your hair?”

“It’s baby-fine and super curly,” Blaine answered. “It frizzes like crazy with just the _tiniest_ bit of humidity or static electricity. That’s why I always have it gelled down, so I can have some sort of control over it. But if I could change my hair in a way that meant I didn’t have to spend forever trying to tame it in the morning – and use way too much hair gel in the process – that would be amazing.”

“Your hair can’t be that bad, Blaine.”

“It _can_ be that bad, Kurt. It _is_ that bad.”

Their conversation went back and forth with random questions until Burt knocked on Kurt’s door and told him to come downstairs for dinner.

~*~

Monday afternoon, Blaine walked into his dorm room after his Photography Club meeting with a letter in his hand and a giant smile on his face. “Jeff! You’ll never guess what just happened!”

“Judging from that smile on your face, I’m gonna guess it’s something good,” Jeff replied. “Wait! Did Kurt ask you out? Is that why you’re happy?”

“No…” he hesitated. “But I was sort of thinking about maybe asking him out once Sectionals is over; that way, we’re no longer competitors and Rachel won’t have any reason to oppose us dating. And actually, my news kinda ties into that a little bit… I was selected as a finalist in the Student Photography Competition Exhibit. Remember that big photography project I was working on a few weeks ago? Well, it was selected to be one of ten projects that are going to be displayed next week at the Westerville Art Gallery. There’s a two-day exhibit on Monday and Tuesday that’s open to the public. Judges from the competition will be walking around, taking notes, asking questions on Monday; and then just before the end of Tuesday’s exhibit, they’ll announce a winner. First place is a $5,000 college scholarship and brand-new DSLR camera bundle that includes a _really_ nice, professional-grade camera, three different lenses, and a _ton_ of other accessories.”

“Blaine that’s awesome!” Jeff cried, jumping up out of his seat to give Blaine a hug. “But, uh, what does that have to do with Kurt? If I recall correctly, you handed that project in before you even met him.”

“I was thinking of inviting him to the exhibit? As my date?” Blaine replied, uncertainly. “The exhibit is after Sectionals, so, like I said before, we wouldn’t be competitors anymore – therefore, there shouldn’t be any more presumed conflicts of interest. And we’d most likely have a chance to talk to Rachel about why she lied to us before then too. And if not, well, it’s a two-day exhibit, so I could just have them come on different days, right?”

“I don’t want to get involved in any of that mess with your sister, so I’m gonna avoid answering that part of the question. But I will say that I think inviting Kurt as your date is a _great_ idea! Just make sure that you tell me which day he’s gonna be there so I can meet him. Officially, that is. Or, you know what? I’ll just go to both days, just to be safe. I am allowed to go to this, right?” he asked.

“Of course you are!” Blaine agreed. “Not only is the exhibit open to the general public, but I was going to invite _all_ of the Warblers. I was given some flyers with all the info about the exhibit that I was going to pass out after rehearsal tomorrow. But you can have one now.”

“Sweet!” he said, taking the flyer from Blaine. “So, are you gonna call Kurt now? Would you like me to give you privacy for that?”

Blaine looked at his watch and sighed. “Pretty sure he’s still in rehearsal with Rachel. He mentioned yesterday that Rachel was demanding extra rehearsals _every day_ this week to get ready for Saturday, and that their Glee director was going along with it – allowing her to schedule extra practice time for everyone. I’ll call him later tonight to tell him. Because right now, I’m starving. So I’m going to go down to the Dining Hall and get dinner. Then when I get back, I’m going to call my dads to tell _them_ the good news. I think they deserve to hear it first.”

“Dinner sounds good. I think I’ll join you.”

\---

The next day, Blaine sent Kurt a text on his way to Warbler rehearsal.

**To Kurt > From Blaine:** I know you have Glee today but can you call me when you get out? Your rehearsal will probably last longer than mine if Rachel has anything to say about it. I got good news I wanted to share with you. But I’d rather tell you than text you

**To Blaine > From Kurt:** Can’t wait to hear what it is! Mr. Schue promised we’d be done by 7. And Finn is taking Rachel out to dinner afterwards so I don’t think she’ll try to keep us past then

**To Kurt > From Blaine:** OK :)

~*~

When Kurt arrived home from Glee, he went into the kitchen to reheat the dinner plate Carole had left for him, then took out his phone to call Blaine.

“Hello?” Blaine answered.

“So, what’s this good news you wanted to tell me about?” Kurt asked. “Also, I hope you don’t mind if I eat while we talk. I just got home, and I am _starving_ , but I didn’t want to keep you waiting.”

“I would not have minded waiting, but I also don’t mind if you want to eat while we talk,” he replied. “And my good news is that a photography project that I did a few weeks ago is going to be put on display in an exhibit at the Westerville Art Gallery next week.”

“Oh my god!” Kurt mumbled, excitedly around a mouthful of food. He hurried to chew and swallow his bite of dinner before continuing, “That’s awesome news! Congratulations! So, explain how that happened? Like, is it a school project type of thing? Or do you have connections at the gallery? Tell me _everything_.”

Blaine chuckled before responding. “Neither actually. Not really anyway. The project was submitted as an entry in a Student Photography Competition. It’s being hosted by the Westerville Art Gallery, but any high school student in Ohio was eligible to enter. I was one of the ten finalists selected. All ten finalists are going to have their projects on display at the gallery at the same time – for two days only. But the exhibit is open to the general public so anyone can come see it. At the end of the exhibit they are going to announce the winner.”

“Oh wow! That’s even more impressive knowing that you’re a finalist in a big statewide competition like that. Do you know how many entries there were?”

“A little over 200, I think?” Blaine answered.

“Over 200 entries? And you made the top _ten_? That’s so awesome, Bee! I’m so proud of you!” Kurt told him. “Have you told your dads yet?”

“Yeah, I told them last night,” he said. “I was going to call you afterwards, to tell you, but by the time I got done talking to Rachel, it was too late to call.”

“You spoke to Rachel? She allowed you to talk to her even though you’re competing against each other this weekend? Was that the first time you spoke to her since you were told Dalton and McKinley would be facing each other at Sectionals?” Kurt asked, sounding surprised.

“I actually spoke to her last weekend too,” Blaine replied, chuckling. “Last weekend, she called me up and tried to _‘casually’_ ask me about what songs the Warblers were performing at Sectionals, and who would be singing lead on them. I told her _‘nice try but I’ve seen the competition lineup’_. Then we made a truce that there would be no Glee Club discussion of any kind until after Sectionals.

“But back to your original question; yes, I spoke to her yesterday. She came home while I was on the phone with my dads, talking about the exhibit. After she arrived, Dad went to heat up some dinner for her, and Papa got another call he had to take. But she wanted to hear more about the exhibit, so we continued to talk – just the two of us.

“We mostly just talked about the exhibit. I told her about the contents of my project, the scope of the competition – the rules, the judging, the prizes involved…stuff like that,” he explained. “But I guess I got a little overexcited talking about it because by the time our call ended it was almost eleven o’clock. I didn’t want to bother you so late at night, so I figured I’d wait until after your rehearsal today to tell you.”

“I _suppose_ I can forgive you for making me wait,” Kurt replied, teasingly. “You said this exhibit is open to the public, right? When is it? Maybe I could go see it? If you don’t mind, that is?”

“Of course I don’t mind! That’s part of why I wanted to tell you about this exhibit in the first place,” Blaine said. “I wanted to invite you to the gallery to see the exhibit…and to see me. I just hadn’t gotten that far yet. You beat me to it. The exhibit is open all day this coming Monday and Tuesday. I have to be at the gallery between 6 and 9 pm both days to answer any potential questions from the judges. Rachel and our dads are coming Tuesday, right after Rachel gets out of Glee rehearsal.”

“So you’re saying that I should probably go on Monday night then?” Kurt checked.

“Well, the exhibit takes place a few days after Sectionals, so we should hopefully be able to talk to Rachel about… _everything_ …before then. So, _theoretically_ , you should be able to go whichever day works best for you…or both if you wanted. But I would _really_ appreciate it if you came to at least one showing. I actually was, um, hoping that, uh, well…” he trailed off.

Kurt sucked in a sharp breath and held it for a moment. After a beat of silence, he hesitantly prodded Blaine to continue. “Yes? You were hoping…?”

“Um, that you’d be there for the awards ceremony Tuesday night?” Blaine said, phrasing it to sound like a question.

“Of-of course,” Kurt stammered, trying to hide the slight disappointment in his voice. “Send me all the info I need to know, and I’ll do my very best to make it to _both_ nights, if I can.”

“I will,” he confirmed. Jeff entered the dorm room, causing Blaine to check the time. “I wish I could stay on the line and talk to you some more, but it’s getting late and I still have homework I need to finish before bed. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, maybe?”

“Absolutely! I’ll text you when I’m free. Goodnight, Bee.”

“Goodnight.”

~*~

Blaine hung up the phone, groaning loudly as he tossed his head back against his pillow. “I’m such an idiot!”

“Uh-oh! What happened?” Jeff asked. “Kurt didn’t reject you, did he?”

“No. I chickened out,” Blaine told him.

“What? Why?”

“I don’t know!”

“So you didn’t even invite him to the exhibit?” Jeff wondered.

“No, I invited him. I just left out the part where I was supposed to tell him that I wanted it to be a _date_. And the worst part is, I think he actually wanted it to be a date too,” Blaine replied. “I just got so nervous; I couldn’t get the words to come out of my mouth.”

“Is he coming to the exhibit though?”

“Yeah. At least one of the days anyway; though, I’m not sure which one because he was talking about going to the Monday show since Rachel wouldn’t be there. But then I tried to ask him if it could be a date and got so nervous that I ended up asking him to come to the awards ceremony on Tuesday instead,” Blaine told him. “He did say that he was going to try to make both days though. But I think he wants to see how everything with Rachel goes first before he commits to anything. I just can’t believe I messed up so badly.”

“It could have been worse. You could have forgotten to invite him,” Jeff said. “But you didn’t forget. _And_ he seemed interested in going. Besides, you still have a week before the exhibit. You can always bring up the possibility of it being a date next time you talk to him, right?”

“Yeah, I guess.”


	12. Chapter 12

The New Directions arrived at Cardinal Spellman bright and early on the morning of Sectionals. Mr. Schuester hurried to check the group in and get their greenroom assignment. The group had been working hard perfecting their routine for the past week-and-a-half. The routine was now flawless. Everyone was able to hit their marks each time all while staying on pitch.

They had been sitting in their greenroom backstage for a few minutes when there was a knock on the open door. Everyone turned toward the door to see a man in a green polo shirt carrying a bouquet of flowers.

“Excuse me. Is there a Kurt Hummel in here?” he asked, warily.

Kurt looked at the man curiously before stepping forward. “I’m Kurt Hummel,” he told the man.

The delivery guy breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank god I finally found the right room. These are for you. Can I just have you sign here?” he asked, presenting Kurt with a confirmation slip attached to a clipboard, and a pen.

Once Kurt signed, he handed Kurt the bouquet made up of 6 purple calla lilies then left the room. Everyone was staring at him curiously.

“Well, who are they from?” Tina finally asked him.

“I don’t know,” he said, looking at the flowers in shock.

“Read the card, dummy,” Mercedes said, rolling her eyes.

His hand shook as he took the small card out of its envelope. He read the card to himself, then looked up at her and said, “It’s not signed.”

Rachel snatched the card out of his hand and read it out loud. “ _‘Wish I could give you these in person. Break a leg! P.S. Listen closely.’_. Listen closely? What’s that supposed to mean? Kurt, you _have_ to have some idea who these are from,” she said.

Blaine was the only person who was not in the greenroom – other than Kurt’s dad – that knew what Kurt’s favorite flower was; that, combined with the fact that Blaine was performing today, made him suspect that Blaine was the sender. But Kurt didn’t want to get his hopes up by thinking they meant something other than a friendly gesture. He would have to find a way to ask Blaine later without his friends hovering. But until he knew for sure, he wouldn’t give any of them any clues. “Sorry. I don’t,” he told her, taking the card back from her.

“Hey! You can’t be in here!” Puck hollered.

They all turned to see what Puck was yelling about. Rachel’s eyes widened in alarm when she saw Blaine standing in the room, in full Dalton uniform.

“Spy!” she yelled, pointing at her brother.

Mr. Schuester stepped in to prevent any trouble. “Is there something we can help you with?” he asked Blaine.

Blaine looked around the room at all the unfriendly faces, except for Rachel who looked scared, and Kurt who was trying to hide a smirk. “I come in peace. On behalf of all of the Warblers, I just wanted to wish you all the best of luck out there on stage today.”

He then took a few more steps toward Rachel, looking her right in the eye. “And I, _personally_ , wanted to give you this. Break a leg,” he said, as he presented her with a single long-stemmed white rose with a smug smile on his face.

“Dude, not cool. She has a boyfriend,” Puck told him.

“Yeah!” Finn agreed, standing up and glaring at Blaine trying to intimidate him. “So, back off!”

Blaine put his hands up defensively and took a step backwards. Kurt quickly glanced at Rachel, who looked as though she was going to remain silent. So, to help Blaine out, Kurt spoke up on his behalf.

“Guys! Calm down! Blaine is Rachel’s _brother_! He’s not trying to hit on her!” he said, exasperatedly, and rolled his eyes.

Everyone’s faces showed varying degrees of shock. A few of them showed signs of recognition from when Blaine picked Rachel up from Glee Club last month.

Finn looked like Kurt just slapped him. “Oh! Sorry, dude,” Finn said to Blaine.

Blaine flashed a quick smile at Kurt in thanks, then gave Finn a bright grin of his own. “It’s alright, Finn. I know we haven’t been properly introduced before. Hopefully, that will change after the competition today. But I really should be getting back to my group now.”

Blaine took a step toward Rachel again. “May the best _man_ win.” He winked at her.

Before Blaine could step away, Kurt, who had been standing right next to Rachel, took a step in front of her, toward Blaine. “I’m sure I will,” Kurt told him.

Surprise crossed Blaine’s face. He smirked at Kurt. “Is that a _challenge_ , Hummel?” he asked.

“You bet your sweet ass it is, Anderson,” Kurt replied, giving Blaine a once-over, then burying his face in the flowers he was still holding to hide his blush.

Blaine’s jaw dropped. He quickly composed himself. “In that case…besides the trophy, what do I get _when_ I win?”

Kurt pulled the flowers away from his face and smirked at him. “ _If_ you win, I’ll buy you a pint of ice cream,” he responded. “Non-vegan; made with real dairy. Any flavor you want. After all, I know how _excited_ frozen milk and sugar makes you.” He gave Blaine a very pointed look, hoping that he picked up on his hidden meaning.

Blaine’s eyes widened at that; shock and recognition on his face. “Are you suggesting what I _think_ you are suggesting? Because, if you are, you are _so_ on!” he asked, wanting clarification.

Kurt smiled and nodded at him. “It’s _exactly_ what you’re thinking,” he said, somewhat seductively, biting his lip and gently stroking the flower petals in his bouquet before he stuck his hand out to seal the deal with a handshake.

The boys shook hands to confirm their agreement. “Then I look forward to collecting my prize,” Blaine replied, smiling brightly, before walking back to the Warblers’ greenroom.

\---

“So, your brother is a Warbler? Guess now we all know the _real_ reason why you were so adamant about not wanting to face Dalton,” Kurt said to Rachel, accusingly. Blaine had just left their greenroom and he could feel the curious stares of his friends. He was trying to shift focus away from what just transpired between him and Blaine by bringing their attention back to Rachel’s relationship with him.

Finn looked between Kurt and Rachel, like he wasn’t sure who to address. “He called me ‘Finn’. How did he know my name?” he finally asked.

Rachel was still being uncharacteristically quiet, just staring at the flower Blaine gave her. Kurt shrugged his shoulders. “When I met him a few weeks ago, he told me Rachel talked to him about you a lot. He probably recognized you from one of the dozens of pictures Rachel has of the two of you together in her room,” he offered as an explanation.

“I guess that makes sense. But why did you call him ‘Anderson’? I thought you said his name was ‘Blaine’?” Finn asked, sounding confused.

Rachel finally snapped out of the silent haze she had been in since Mr. Schuester asked Blaine why he was in their greenroom. “Anderson is his last name. Our dads didn’t use a surrogate to have him, like they did me. When they adopted him, they let him keep the surname that was on his birth certificate, instead of changing it to Berry,” she said, softly.

She looked around the room at everyone. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you guys he was a Warbler. I was just afraid you’d start accusing me of sharing information with the enemy. After what happened with Jesse and Vocal Adrenaline, I thought you’d all hate me and refuse to let me have the solo. I swear I didn’t tell him anything! I’ve only spoken to him once since we finalized the setlist. Glee Club didn’t even get mentioned at all! All he talked about was some photography exhibit he’s working on. He doesn’t even know that I have a solo!” Rachel assured them.

Mr. Schuester decided he would speak on behalf of the group. “Rachel, no one is mad at you, or accusing you of any wrongdoing. It’s not your fault that your brother is in a competing show choir. There isn’t anything that any of us can do about that.”

“Kurt, how come you’re the only one that recognized Blaine? And how did he know your last name? Or rather, how did you know _his_ – since it’s different from Rachel’s?” Mercedes asked.

Kurt shrugged. “I met him a few weeks ago, when I was at Rachel’s house. He came home for the weekend, and we talked for a little while – introduced ourselves with our full names. Plus, remember when he came to pick Rachel up from Glee Club, like, a little over a month or so ago? And I had said I recognized him from all the pictures around Rachel’s house? It’s not my fault none of you ever pay any attention to the décor in the Berry household while you’re there; or that none of you remembered what he looked like when you all _saw him in person_ at McKinley when he came to pick her up,” he explained, dismissively.

“What did he mean about the ice cream?” Rachel asked Kurt.

“Um, nothing, really,” Kurt answered, waving off the question.

“I know my brother, Kurt. What was that about?” Rachel asked, accusingly.

“It was nothing, Rachel. Honestly. I was just trying to be funny. Remember how I made sure we stopped to buy some real ice cream before we went to your house that day? Well, when I talked to Blaine, I offered him the rest of it, so I wouldn’t have to take it home. He sort of got really _enthusiastic_ about there being dairy products in the house. I was just giving him a hard time and teasing him about his reaction. No big deal,” Kurt clarified, while downplaying his real meaning.

Just then the lights flashed alerting them that the competition would begin shortly.

“Alright, everyone! Let’s go take our seats and get ready to cheer on Rachel’s brother and the rest of the Warblers,” Mr. Schuester announced.

They all filed out of the greenroom and into their seats in the auditorium.

~*~

When Blaine walked back into the Warblers’ greenroom, Trent started laughing at the dopey grin on his face.

“I take it that love-sick smile of yours is a result of Kurt, and not your sister? Or at least, I _hope_ it’s not because of your sister,” Trent joked.

“Rachel didn’t even talk to me, except to call me a spy. She didn’t even say ‘hello’ or ‘thank you’. A few of her friends thought I was hitting on her when I gave her the flower. But Kurt straightened them all out. He saved me from getting beaten up by his brother,” he answered, wistfully.

“Aww, how cute!” Trent teased.

“He challenged me too – said that New Directions would win. He implied that if we beat them, I could kiss him. We _have_ to win, Trent, we have to,” Blaine pleaded with him.

Trent chuckled. “What do you mean he _implied_ you could kiss him?” he asked, confused.

“I asked what I would get if I won. He said ‘ice cream’,” Blaine told him, as if it was the most obvious conclusion to draw.

“Ice cream? I don’t get it. How does ice cream equate to a kiss?” he questioned.

“When I first met him, he offered me the rest of his ice cream. Since it’s incredibly rare to ever have non-vegan anything in my house – thanks to Rachel – I got a little overexcited about it. I sort of told him that I was so thankful that I could kiss him for his generosity,” he explained.

All of a sudden Blaine got a frantic look on his face and started pacing back and forth.

“Oh my god. What if I misinterpreted him? What if that wasn’t what he meant? What if he freaks out when I sing my solo? What if he doesn’t actually like me like that? I already told him to listen carefully to the lyrics. He’s going to know I like him and won’t want anything to do with me anymore because he’ll think I’m some obsessed stalker or something. I can’t do this. I can’t go out there. I think I’m gonna throw up,” Blaine panicked.

Wes came over when he saw Blaine start to pace. “What’s wrong with Blaine?” he asked Trent.

“He’s just a little nervous. He’ll be fine,” Trent replied.

“Blaine never gets nervous before a performance,” Wes argued.

Blaine turned to Wes apologetically. “I didn’t know we’d have to compete against him when I chose my song. He’s going to see it and freak out. What do I do?”

“Jeff! Your roommate’s having a meltdown! Help!” Trent called out across the room.

Jeff came running over. “What’s wrong?”

“He just realized Kurt is gonna see him perform his solo. Now he’s second guessing himself,” Trent explained.

“Who’s Kurt?” Wes asked them.

“He’s only the most amazing, beautiful, incredible, stunningly gorgeous guy on the _entire_ _planet_!” Blaine bellowed, incredulously.

Jeff tried to calm Blaine down and reassure him while Trent explained to Wes that Kurt was Blaine’s inspiration for his song choice as well as a member of New Directions.

“Blaine, it’s okay. Remember we talked about this? Kurt _likes_ you. He’s not going to freak out or turn you down. He’s going to _love_ your song,” Jeff told him.

“Jeff’s right. You can do this,” Trent encouraged.

They managed to get Blaine calm again just as the lights flashed to alert the group that it was time to take their places. The Warblers were the first group to perform, so the boys made their way over to the stage to get ready.

“You got this, Blainey. It’s showtime. Let’s go get your man,” Jeff said, patting Blaine’s shoulder and walking out to the middle of the stage.


	13. Chapter 13

Kurt took his seat in the auditorium between Rachel and Mercedes. Blaine’s roommate had accidentally let it slip to Kurt that Blaine had a competition solo by asking Blaine a question about it while they were on the phone. Luckily for Blaine, he had been able to cut Jeff off before he could give away any other details about the song or performance. Since then, Kurt had been anxiously anticipating watching the Warblers perform. He was excited to be able to finally get to hear Blaine sing; because apparently, the song he heard when he was spying at Dalton was sung by someone named Nick.

The curtains rose and standing center stage in front of the rest of the Warblers were Blaine and the blond boy he had seen talking to him after their performance at Dalton. The Warblers stood motionless as the blond boy sang the opening lines of the song. Kurt almost burst out laughing as soon as Blaine and the rest of the Warblers joined in just before they began the first chorus of the song. They were singing _‘Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)’_ by the Backstreet Boys.

Even though the song was slightly cheesy, the Warblers were owning that stage. They sounded incredible, and their dancing was superb. They had incorporated some of the music video’s choreography into their routine but made enough changes for it to be considered original.

When the song ended everyone was on their feet cheering and applauding. Then the blond boy patted Blaine’s shoulder and turned around to join the rest of the Warblers. Blaine was once again center stage, in front of the group, but this time by himself.

The cheering died down and the Warblers began their second song. Kurt suddenly had a vice grip on Mercedes’s arm. Blaine was singing _‘Crush’_ by David Archuleta. Mercedes tried to loosen his grip as she whispered to him to ask what was wrong. He didn’t respond; his thoughts were running a mile a minute – could this have been what Blaine wanted him to ‘listen closely’ to? Was he trying to send Kurt a message through the song lyrics? Or was he just hoping for a critique of his performance, like Rachel would want? Kurt’s eyes had been trained on Blaine since he first opened his mouth. Blaine was the only thing he could focus on. Kurt stopped breathing during the chorus of the song when he noticed Blaine looking directly at him while he sang.

 _Do you ever think when you're all alone_  
_All that we can be, where this thing can go?_  
_Am I crazy or falling in love?_  
_Is it real or just another crush?_  
_Do you catch a breath when I look at you?_  
_Are you holding back like the way I do?_  
_'Cause I'm trying and trying to walk away_  
_But I know this crush ain't goin' away-ay-ay-ay-ayy_  
_Goin' away-ay-ay-ay-ayy_

Blaine received a standing ovation at the end of his solo. Kurt cheered as loud as he possibly could. Rachel looked over at him a little miffed. “He wasn’t _that_ good,” she told Kurt.

“Yes, he was,” Kurt replied, looking at her like she was crazy to disagree.

They looked over to the stage to see Blaine blow a kiss in their direction before joining the rest of the Warblers.

“Aww, your brother loves you. How sweet,” Kurt joked. He was pretty sure that kiss was meant for him, but he didn’t want to tip Rachel off to anything just yet.

Rachel blushed a little, and they took their seats again. The Warblers’ third song was _‘Uptown Girl’_ by Billy Joel. Kurt didn’t recognize the boy singing lead, but his voice was familiar. Kurt guessed that this must be Nick, the boy who was singing when Kurt was at Dalton. The performance was fun and playful. The harmonies sounded fantastic, and the synchronicity in their dance steps was spot on.

Kurt thought that the Warblers were formidable competitors for the New Directions. This was not going to be an easy win.

The Warblers last song had just ended and once again the room was on their feet cheering. The New Directions quickly filed out of the auditorium to head backstage and get ready for their performance.

\---

As the New Directions were getting ready backstage, Mercedes walked over to Kurt. She looked around quickly and leaned in to whisper to him, “Is Blaine gay?”

“Rachel told me he has a girlfriend,” he responded, not wanting to get into this conversation just before their performance.

“Then what was up with the vice grip on my arm earlier? And the looks between the two of you? What about the kiss he blew? Not to mention the flirting in the greenroom?” Mercedes inquired.

“I’m sorry about your arm. I just got into the song, I guess. I didn’t even realize I was doing that. I don’t know what looks you are talking about. I was just looking at him since he was the one performing, and it’s rude not to pay attention. I’m pretty sure the kiss was most likely meant for Rachel since she was standing right next to me. And there was no flirting going on,” Kurt told her.

“Uh-huh, sure.” she replied, sarcastically.

Mr. Schuester came over and told them both to get in their places because the curtain would be going up in less than a minute.

~*~

Jeff ran off stage and hugged Blaine. “You were amazing out there! Kurt could not take his eyes off you during all three songs.”

Blaine let out a shaky breath. “I can’t believe I just did that.”

“Come on guys we gotta hurry and get in our seats.” Wes told them.

The Warblers took the seats that the New Directions had just vacated in the auditorium. Blaine was seated in between Jeff and Trent. Trent congratulated him on his performance, just before the curtain went up.

Rachel was standing alone on the stage when the music started. Just before the chorus of _‘I Will Love Again’_ hit, the rest of the New Directions ran on stage. There were two couples dancing up at the front of the stage on either side of Rachel. Everyone else was dancing behind them.

Blaine watched his sister take control of that stage. Her voice was strong and clear. Despite all the dancing going on around her, she pulled focus. It was an incredible performance.

The auditorium once again erupted into cheers and applause. Blaine heard one of his teammates make a crude and suggestive comment about Rachel. He whipped his head around toward the person who said it. “Hey! That’s my sister, you perv!” he stated, louder than necessary.

His teammate ducked his head in embarrassment. Trent brought Blaine’s focus back to the stage, where Kurt was now standing next to Rachel at the front of the stage. All of the other members of New Directions were in formation behind them to begin their next song.

“He has a solo!” Blaine whispered to Trent excitedly. “This is why he’s been spending so much time with Rachel. It’s a _duet_ ,” he added when he finally noticed his sister next to him.

The opening notes of _‘Music Of My Heart’_ began, and Kurt took a step forward. Blaine was entranced by the whole performance. Kurt’s singing voice was unlike anything he’d ever heard before. Jeff leaned over to whisper to Blaine while Rachel was singing.

“Damn. He’s _good_ ,” Jeff said.

Blaine just nodded in agreement. He thought the harmonies between Kurt and Rachel were fantastic. And the way the harmonies of the rest of the group blended so perfectly to theirs was excellent. The choreography for this song was simple, but well executed. It fit the song perfectly.

Blaine caught Kurt’s eye every now and then. Every time he did, it felt like he was singing those specific lines directly to him. At least, that’s how Blaine was choosing to interpret it; since they usually locked eyes each time those phrases were being sung.

As soon as the song ended, Blaine jumped to his feet, clapping and cheering. The New Directions rearranged themselves into a new formation, spread all over the stage.

Kurt was standing center stage with people all around him. He called out the opening lyrics of _‘Bad Romance’_ as the band kicked in with the music. Blaine gasped. The group started their choreography, using the whole stage.

Practically every line was sung by a different person, but they transitioned so smoothly between each performer that it appeared so natural and effortless. There was so much cohesion within their performance. Blaine kept his eyes focused on Kurt throughout the entire song. Kurt looked so confident and fearless up on that stage.

Blaine was literally on the edge of his seat for the whole song; especially with all of Kurt’s hip thrusting and undulating, as well as his high kicks. He thought he might pass out when Kurt did a leapfrog split over the back of one of his teammates.

Kurt sang the last line of the song as an a capella solo. He was at the front of the stage looking directly at Blaine, pointing straight to him as the words _‘want your bad romance’_ closed the song.

The entire auditorium was on their feet applauding wildly and cheering loudly. When the New Directions left the stage Blaine looked back and forth between his friends.

“That settles it. I am officially in love,” he told them.

Jeff laughed. “Come on. We got about 15 minutes before the next group takes the stage. Let’s go congratulate New Directions on a job well done,” he said, as he pulled Blaine toward the aisle.

\---

Jeff, Blaine, and Trent found Rachel and Finn buying some water at the refreshments table. They looked around quickly but did not see Kurt anywhere.

“Rachel, you were amazing out there!” Blaine exclaimed, as he hugged her.

“Thank you. You weren’t so bad yourself. Although, I did think you were trying a little too hard to sell the emotion in your solo,” Rachel critiqued.

Blaine scowled at her. “I did not oversell the emotions,” he sulked.

Jeff jumped in to prevent an argument. “That last song you guys did was incredible! All of you did a really amazing job. The whole routine was flawless,” he said, looking at both Finn and Rachel.

“Thanks, dude. We worked our butts off on that song,” Finn replied.

“Is your duet partner around? I wanted to compliment him on his performance,” Trent asked Rachel.

“Oh, Kurt? Yeah, he’s around somewhere. Mercedes said she needed to talk to him,” she replied. “But I don’t know where they went.”

Finn squinted at her in confusion. “They said they were going to the greenroom.” He looked over at Trent and added, “They’re probably still there if you’re looking for him.”

“But I don’t think it’d be wise to interrupt them,” Rachel interjected. “I’ll pass along your compliments and congratulations to him for you.”

“Oh. Okay. Well, in that case, the next group will be on soon, so we should get back to our seats,” Jeff told them.

They all said their goodbyes and the three boys headed backstage toward the New Directions greenroom instead of into the auditorium.

“You guys don’t think I was trying too hard on my solo? Do you?” Blaine asked, unsure.

“No, of course not. Rachel just needed to say something negative about your performance to make herself feel better. You were wonderful,” Trent reassured him. “However, I do think it’s odd she doesn’t want us to congratulate Kurt, don’t you?”

The other two boys nodded in reply as they approached the New Directions’ greenroom. The door to the greenroom was open, and only Mercedes and Kurt could be seen inside. Jeff knocked politely to get their attention before they all walked into the room.

“Bee!” Kurt said, excitedly. He jumped out of his chair and ran over to Blaine to give him a hug.

“Just friends, my ass,” Mercedes said, just loud enough for them all to hear.

Jeff giggled. “I like her,” he said to no one in particular, nodding his head toward Mercedes.

“We just wanted to stop by and tell you how absolutely incredible you sounded out there,” Blaine told Kurt, still holding him in an embrace.

Kurt finally broke the hug and looked at Blaine. “Thank you. You were pretty incredible too.” He blushed. “You all were,” he added quickly, when he noticed Jeff and Trent.

“We haven’t been formally introduced, I’m Jeff,” Jeff greeted him.

“And I’m Trent,” Trent added.

Kurt smiled widely. “It’s nice to officially meet you both. I’m Kurt, obviously. And this fabulous diva is Mercedes Jones.” He gestured to his friend still sitting on the other side of the room.

Mercedes got up and walked over to the boys. “Hello, boys. So, Blaine, how long have you and Kurt been dating?” she asked.

Blaine blushed and dipped his head in slight embarrassment. Kurt looked horrified.

“’Cedes!” Kurt exclaimed.

“What? Oh, come on. Sweetie, there is no way that there is nothing going on between you two. A blind man could see how much you like each other,” she told him.

“Um, Mercedes, Kurt and I aren’t dating…yet,” Blaine said, tentatively, while biting his lip and blushing.

“Why the hell not? You _are_ gay, aren’t you? Or at least attracted to boys, right?” Mercedes asked Blaine.

“I am – gay, that is. But, as of right now, Kurt and I are just friends,” he answered, nervously.

“Apparently, there’s this little issue known as _Rachel_ that they have to deal with,” Trent interjected.

“Just tell Rachel to mind her own damn business. Problem solved,” Mercedes told them.

“Anyway! We should probably go find our seats. The next group is going to be on in a few minutes,” Kurt said, trying to change the subject.

Mercedes glared at Kurt. “Don’t think you can avoid this forever,” she said.

“’Cedes, please don’t. And don’t mention any of this to Rachel either. I need to talk to her myself. It’s more complicated than you think,” Kurt pleaded. “I wasn’t lying when I said Rachel told me he had a girlfriend. He doesn’t!” he hurried to add. “But that’s what she told me.”

She did a double-take, unsure if she heard him correctly, as her face contorted into a look of complete bewilderment. Mercedes then blinked away the confusion, nodded at him, and sighed. “Okay. Fine. I won’t say anything,” she replied, then walked out of the room to find her seat in the auditorium.

The boys followed her down the hall. Kurt and Blaine were walking a little slower than the rest of them, to try and squeeze in a few more seconds together.

“Thank you for the flowers, by the way… assuming they were from you that is. They’re beautiful,” Kurt spoke softly to Blaine.

Blaine gave him a shy smile. “Yeah, they were from me. And you’re welcome. I’m glad you liked them.”

They went their separate ways once they reached the door to the auditorium, and each took their seats.

~*~

All three groups were on stage awaiting the results of the competition. Kurt kept throwing nervous glances to his teammates. He was trying to avoid looking over at the Warblers, who were standing on the opposite side of the stage. Rachel was holding both of his hands in hers, while muttering ‘please’ over and over.

The announcer finally made his way to the stage. “And now the moment you’ve all been waiting for. In third place: from Covington, Ohio, the Cardinal Spellman Holy Notes! In second place: from Westerville, Ohio, the Dalton Academy Warblers! Which makes the winner of this year’s Western Ohio Show Choir Sectionals: from Lima, Ohio, the McKinley High New Directions! Congratulations to all teams!”

Everyone in the New Directions were jumping up and down, cheering, and hugging each other in celebration. Kurt finally looked over at the Warblers and saw Blaine smiling at him, walking across the stage toward the New Directions. Blaine shook Mr. Schuester’s hand and congratulated him, then walked over to Rachel.

“Congratulations! You guys were incredible. You deserved this win,” Blaine told her, scooping her up in a tight hug.

Blaine then offered Kurt his hand. “Clearly, the better man won here. Congratulations!” he smiled, sadly.

Kurt shook his hand. “Thank you,” he replied. Blaine then turned around and went back to his teammates.


	14. Chapter 14

On the bus ride back to McKinley, Kurt sat alone clutching his flowers and daydreaming while his friends and teammates celebrated their win. Now that he knew for sure that Blaine liked him, he was trying to figure out the best way to go about changing their relationship status. He wasn’t sure if they should talk to Rachel first, and find out why she had lied to them, or just ask Blaine out and deal with Rachel later.

“Why aren’t you celebrating with us?” Rachel asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.

Kurt looked down at his flowers with a small smile on his face before answering her. “I’ve just got a lot on my mind right now,” he said.

“Did you find out who sent them?” she asked, indicating the flowers he kept smiling at.

He slowly nodded at her. “I did.”

“So? Who was it?” she asked, excitedly.

As if on cue, his phone rang with a call from Blaine. “Him,” Kurt told her with a wide smile on his face as he showed her the caller I.D. that still said _‘Mystery Man’_.

Rachel squealed, as Kurt answered his phone.

“Hey, Bee,” Kurt said.

“Hi,” Blaine responded.

“His name is Bee?” Rachel teasingly asked.

“Rachel, shoo! Go!” Kurt said, waving his hand as if dismissing her.

Rachel stuck her tongue out at him and left to rejoin the rest of the group.

“Sorry about her. How can I be of assistance?” Kurt said, returning his attention back to Blaine.

He heard Blaine chuckle. “No need to apologize. I’m used to it. But I actually did have a question for you,” he replied.

“Shoot.”

“What flavor of ice cream do you want?” Blaine asked. “Or would you prefer a different prize for winning?”

Kurt laughed a little too loudly at that. “That’s your question?”

“You won fair and square. I’m only trying to hold up my end of the deal; and we didn’t exactly decide what you would get if you won, but I think you deserve something,” Blaine told him.

“Okay. Um, I think our agreed upon ice cream reward will be sufficient,” he said playfully.

“Which flavor?”

“Hmm, coffee flavored. With chocolate chips,” Kurt replied.

“Ooh! Sounds yummy… Uh, did you want to come over my house when you get back to Lima? I can give you your ice cream and we could talk. Maybe even talk to Rachel, if she doesn’t go running off to celebrate with Finn or something,” Blaine asked him, nervously.

“You’re going to be home?” Kurt asked, surprised.

“Yeah. Didn’t I tell you that?” Blaine replied. “My dads were at the competition, and I got permission to go home with them instead of taking the bus back to Dalton. In fact, we’re on the highway right now. I’ll probably make it back to Lima before you do.”

“No, you didn’t tell me. It’s Saturday; don’t you have Track today? How long will you be home for?”

“I was excused from practice due to Sectionals. And I’m not sure exactly what time I’ll head back to school, but I’ll be home at least until late Sunday afternoon, maybe early evening; depends on what time my dads want to drive me back,” he answered.

Kurt smiled at that response. “I’d love to come over and see you. I’ll call you when we get back to McKinley. To make sure you’re home, and to let you know Rachel’s plans.”

“That sounds great! I can’t wait! …And now I’m unintentionally rhyming like an idiot,” Blaine said, a little self-deprecatingly.

Kurt giggled. “It’s okay. I thought it was cute,” he replied, flirtatiously.

“Oh, well, in that case I will rhyme for you all day long. I’ll even rhyme in song,” Blaine responded.

Kurt laughed at that. “Once or twice is fine, but all day might get a little annoying,” he said, playfully. He then bit his lip and softly added, “However, I wouldn’t say no to listening to you sing again.”

“I will sing for you anytime you want,” Blaine replied, sincerely.

“That’s good to know,” Kurt told him.

“Well, I will let you get back to your celebrating. I’m sure my sister is just _dying_ to tease and torment you about this phone call. I’ll see you in a little bit, okay?”

“Yeah, I’ll call when we arrive. See you soon, Bee.”

\---

The bus pulled into McKinley’s parking lot about 30 minutes later. Kurt got off and started to head toward his car.

“Kurt!” Tina called, as she hurried over to him. “A couple of us are going to Breadstix to celebrate. Want to come?”

“No, thanks. I have someplace else I need to be. Is Rachel going, by any chance?” he wondered.

“Yeah both her and Finn are. Are you sure you don’t want to come with us?” she asked again.

“I’m sure. Thank you though.” Kurt smiled at her then walked to his car. Once inside the car, he called Blaine.

“Why, hello there. Long time, no speak,” Blaine greeted him.

“Hello to you too. We just got back. I’m still at McKinley. Are you home yet? I wanted to stop by my house first to change and put these flowers in some water before going to see you,” Kurt told him.

“I actually just got home about 10 minutes ago. _With_ your ice cream. Do whatever it is you need to do first. I’ll see you when you get here,” Blaine replied.

“Okay. I promise I won’t take too long. Oh! And Rachel and Finn are going to Breadstix with a few of the others, so I’m not sure when she’ll get home,” Kurt informed him.

“That’s fine. I’d rather not deal with her just yet anyway,” he said.

“See you in about 15 minutes?” Kurt responded.

“Sounds good,” Blaine said, before hanging up.

Kurt drove home quickly. He found a vase for the flowers and filled it with water. He brought it upstairs to his bedroom and arranged the small bouquet to sit on his vanity. Kurt then changed out of his Sectionals costume into something stylish that accentuated his best features nicely.

He ran back down the stairs and was about to leave when his father’s voice called out to him.

“Where are you going? Aren’t you gonna tell me who won?” Burt asked.

“We won. And I’m going to Rachel’s. I’ll be back later,” Kurt told him as he ran out of the house to his car.

\---

Kurt parked on the street in front of the Berry household when he arrived. As he was walking to the door, he suddenly became very nervous. Blaine must have heard him pull up, because he opened the door before Kurt could knock.

“Hi,” Blaine said, blushing and motioning Kurt to enter.

“Hi. You’re not wearing your uniform anymore,” he replied, stunned.

“I changed once I got home. Why? Do I not look okay?” Blaine asked, anxiously, after noticing Kurt appraising his outfit with a very keen eye.

Kurt stifled a laugh as he shook his head. “This is just the first time I’ve seen you in something _other_ than your Dalton uniform. And I must say, I approve. This is a good look for you.”

“Oh, well, thank you. That is certainly high praise coming from you.” He cleared his throat awkwardly before continuing. “Um, you just missed my dads. I told them Rachel was at Breadstix and you were on your way over, and they suddenly remembered they had something to do.”

“Your dads know that I’m here?” Kurt asked, surprised. “I mean, I know you were in the car with them when you called me, but I wasn’t sure if they knew who you were talking to…or if they were even listening to your conversation.”

“When I was talking to them on the phone yesterday, Jeff thought I was talking to you. So, naturally he yells ‘hi, Kurt!’ directly into my phone. Luckily, Rachel wasn’t home at the time because they had me on speakerphone so I could talk to both of them at the same time; and then they asked me who Kurt was and I ended up telling them everything. Well, not _everything_ , everything, but you know what I mean, right? Because apparently Rachel had told them some crazy story about us hating each other or something, so that way they would never mention you in front of me or vice versa. So, they didn’t realize we were in contact with one another and thought Jeff meant some other person named Kurt. But I straightened them out. Anyway, they said they wouldn’t say anything to Rachel until after we talked to her,” Blaine explained.

“I see. So them taking off unexpectedly is just their not-so-subtle way of giving us privacy?” Kurt said, with a hint of uncertainty.

“I think so, especially since they told me they needed to go do ‘that thing’ at ‘that place’,” Blaine said, rolling his eyes with a nervous laughter.

“So, um, I guess we should talk, huh?” Kurt asked.

“Yeah. Uh, do you want to sit in the kitchen? Or on the couch?” Blaine replied.

“Um, kitchen, I guess.”

The boys walked into the kitchen and sat at the island in the same seats they had when they first met each other. Blaine took a few deep breaths before speaking. “I hope what I said to Mercedes earlier was okay – that you weren’t uncomfortable with me suggesting that there was a possibility of us dating?” he said. “I know we haven’t talked about that as a possibility or anything, but I was sort of hoping that it was one? Because I really like you, Kurt. A lot. As more than a friend. So, I’m really hoping that my friends and yours are correct in assuming you like me back?”

Kurt nodded. “They are. And I didn’t mind you telling that to Mercedes either. I was a little nervous that maybe you _didn’t_ want to date me, so hearing you say that to her…it felt good.”

Blaine grinned widely and breathed a sigh of relief. “Of course I want to date you! I almost asked you out the other day when I invited you to my photography exhibit. That’s why I wanted to tell you about the exhibit over the phone. Because I thought asking someone on a first date via text was a little impersonal. But I chickened out. Every time I tried to ask you, I got scared you’d turn me down. But I was actually _trying_ to ask you to be my date for the evening – maybe even see if you’d want to go out to dinner with me before the exhibit – I was just too nervous to go through with it. I’ve never asked anyone out on a date before. I froze up.”

“So you _were_ trying to ask me out!” Kurt said, excitedly. “I was hoping that you were, but when you asked me to attend the awards ceremony on Tuesday instead of the Monday exhibit, I thought maybe I had misunderstood why you sounded so nervous. Like, maybe you were scared I’d say no because your family would be there or something.”

“No, I was definitely _trying_ to ask you out,” he confirmed. “When I hung up, I was so mad at myself for chickening out like that. And then I couldn’t find a way to bring it back up in any of our following conversations, so…” Blaine trailed off shrugging. He paused briefly before asking his next question. “So I guess now we figure out where do we go from here? How do we want to handle this? Wait until after we talk to Rachel to establish anything? Or…?”

Kurt smirked at him. “Well, _first_ , I think I should collect my prize for winning our bet.”

Blaine looked at him a little confused. “Oh. Uh, sure,” he said, getting up to retrieve the ice cream from the freezer. He grabbed a spoon for Kurt as well and placed them both on the island in front of him before retaking his seat.

Kurt stood up and walked over to the other side of the island and stood directly in front of Blaine.

“Not that prize,” Kurt said before leaning forward to kiss Blaine. It took Blaine about half a second to realize what was happening and kiss him back. The kiss was soft and slow, but passionate. They kissed until breathing became a necessity. When they broke apart, they kept their faces close, staying connected by their foreheads.

Blaine’s breathing was heavy, and he had yet to open his eyes. “Please go out with me. Say you’ll be my boyfriend. Please,” he whispered, pleadingly before finally chancing a look at Kurt. “I don’t care about Rachel’s motives for lying right now, I just want to be with you.”

Kurt was biting his lip, trying to hold back a grin. “On one condition,” he replied.

“Anything!” Blaine vowed.

“You help me eat this ice cream,” Kurt answered, flirtatiously.

Blaine giggled. “You’ve got yourself a deal, boyfriend,” he said, and then leaned in to kiss Kurt again.

\---

Kurt sat back down in his seat after grabbing a second spoon for Blaine. They had eaten almost the entire pint of ice cream while chatting about anything and everything – with the exception of Rachel and how they were going to handle telling her about their relationship. Finally, Kurt couldn’t avoid the topic anymore. “So, what do we do about Rachel?” he asked Blaine.

Blaine sighed loudly. “I don’t even know. I mean, what she did makes no sense at all. She’s always asking me if there are any cute gay guys in my school that I might be interested in. Telling me that I should get a boyfriend. She’s even offered to set me up on dates! None of which I accepted by the way. Not only that, but she’s even suggested that I ask _Trent_ – my _best friend_ – out on a date, just because she knows that he’s bi; even though I’ve told her a million times I have _zero_ interest in dating him. Yet, the _one_ time I actually show any interest in a guy, she yells at me and gives me a lecture about stereotyping when I asked her if there was any chance you might be gay or interested in guys at all. And then she turns right around to tell you I’ve got a girlfriend? Without any prompting? It’s like she was trying to convince you that I hadn’t been flirting with you, so you shouldn’t even attempt to have feelings for me, or something.”

“You were flirting with me?” Kurt asked, curiously.

“When we first met? Yeah. Or I was trying to anyway. I guess I didn’t do such a good job, huh?” Blaine asked, laughing a little. “In fact, that’s part of the reason I believed her so easily. I didn’t know about what had happened with your bully at that time. So when you panicked, I just assumed I had made you uncomfortable because you were straight and didn’t like getting hit on by a gay guy,” he clarified.

“I had briefly considered that it was a possibility that you might have been flirting. But I quickly banished that thought from my mind almost as soon as it happened. First, I had assumed that you were straight. And second, I thought that, even if you weren’t, it was highly unlikely that someone like you would ever be attracted to someone like me,” Kurt explained.

“What do you mean someone like _me_?” Blaine asked, pointing to himself.

“I mean someone who is friendly, smart, polite, good-looking. You know, a non-self-hating, homophobic, gay Neanderthal with anger issues,” Kurt replied.

Blaine looked at Kurt full of compassion. “Kurt, honey, you shouldn’t think like that! You are an amazing human being. You are so beautiful inside and out, and you deserve _all_ the good things this world can provide. Don’t let one asshole trivialize your self-worth and make you feel insignificant. You’re a much better person than he could ever hope to be,” he said, sincerely.

“And _you_ are the best boyfriend ever,” Kurt answered, eyes shining with unshed tears. “Even if you did just call me honey,” he added, playfully.

“Are pet names not okay?” Blaine asked, apprehensively.

Kurt pretended to think about that for a second. “Depends on the name. I’m okay with ‘honey’ though. I was just teasing you.”

“Okay, good,” he replied.

Just then Kurt’s phone started ringing. He looked down at the caller I.D. and saw his dad’s name flash on the screen. He was confused why his dad would be calling him right now.

“Hey, Dad, what’s up?” Kurt answered, tentatively.

“Kurt, where are you right now?” Burt replied.

“I told you I was going to Rachel’s house,” he said, still confused.

“Yeah, well, Rachel just walked in our front door with Finn and says she hasn’t seen you since you left McKinley. So you wanna try that one again?” Burt said, irritated.

Kurt sighed loudly. “Dad, I _really_ am at Rachel’s house. Just not with Rachel. I’m hanging out with Blaine right now.”

“Blaine? That’s her brother, right? I didn’t know you two were that friendly. You don’t usually hang out together, do you?” Burt replied, a little disbelieving.

“Remember how I told you I met him for coffee, and he helped me out with the whole Karofsky thing? That he was the one that convinced me to talk to you? And he also suggested that we check the surveillance video at the gas station? Well, I had been keeping him updated on the whole situation; and afterward, we continued to stay in touch. We’ve been talking almost every day. And, um, well, you remember that I told you how he could relate to some of the bullying I was dealing with since he is also gay, right? Because…well, he asked me out today, so we’re kinda dating now. So, uh, yeah…I’m hanging out with Blaine because he is actually my boyfriend now,” he told him, hesitantly.

“Boyfriend, huh?” Burt replied, monotonously.

“Yeah.”

“Okay. So, when do I get to meet this boyfriend that I know next to nothing about?” Burt asked.

Kurt looked over at Blaine apprehensively. “Do you wanna go to my house and meet my dad? Rachel is there. We could confront her and get this all over with,” he asked him.

“Meeting my boyfriend’s dad for the first time, _and_ facing my sister for an intense interrogation? Sure. That’s not stressful at all,” Blaine said, sarcastically.

“Is that a yes or a no?” Kurt asked.

Blaine laughed nervously. “I guess it’s a yes.”

Kurt returned his attention back to his dad. “We’ll be home shortly.”

“Sounds good, kiddo.” Burt replied.

“Bye, Dad.”


	15. Chapter 15

When Kurt drove up to his house, Blaine looked absolutely terrified. His hands were shaking, and he kept biting his lip. After shutting off the ignition, Kurt took both of Blaine’s hands in his and looked him straight in the eye. “Don’t worry about my dad, okay? He may look and act scary and intimidating, but he’s just a big teddy bear. He won’t hurt you. I promise,” Kurt told him.

“But what if he doesn’t _like_ me? I just got you; I don’t want to lose you yet,” Blaine fretted.

“You aren’t going to lose me. My dad is going to _love_ you. If he can tolerate Rachel, then there is absolutely no way he will have anything negative to say about you,” Kurt said, sincerely. “Besides, he knows how much you helped me out with the bully situation. I told my dad that you were the reason I had the courage to tell him about what was happening; and about how you were the one to suggest checking the security cameras for proof, as well as having my teachers come to the courthouse for character statements. Trust me; you are already in his good-books.” He then leaned across the center console of the car to give Blaine a quick kiss.

After the kiss, Blaine took a deep breath and got out of the car. Kurt took his hand and they walked up to his house. When they walked into the living room, Blaine suddenly froze. Rachel and Finn were making out on the couch and hadn’t noticed them come in.

“I really did not need to see that. I’m gonna have to soak my brain in some bleach to get rid of those images,” Blaine said to Kurt, loud enough for Finn and Rachel to realize they were no longer alone.

“Welcome to my life,” Kurt told him. “I have to see this practically every day.”

“I’m so sorry,” Blaine replied, sympathetically.

“Blaine! What are you doing here?” Rachel exclaimed loudly, breaking away from Finn and adjusting her clothing.

“Kurt invited me.”

“What? How? Why?” Rachel asked, confused.

“Well, two reasons actually. One, you’re here, and Kurt and I need to talk to you about why you _lied_ to us,” Blaine began. “And two, Kurt is my boyfriend now, and he wanted me to meet his dad. Or rather, his dad wanted to meet me.”

“ _What_?!” Rachel shrieked.

“Come on, Bee. My dad’s waiting for us,” Kurt said, pulling on Blaine’s hand and walking toward the kitchen. Looking over his shoulder to glare at Rachel he added in a stern voice, “We’ll talk to you later.”

Kurt and Blaine walked into the kitchen to find Burt and Carole talking quietly at the table. Rachel could still be heard yelling – demanding that Blaine return to the living room to explain himself.

“Everything okay in there?” Burt asked, when they walked in.

“Just Rachel being her overdramatic self,” Kurt replied.

Burt nodded his head and Carole stifled a laugh.

“Dad, Carole, I’d like you to meet my boyfriend; Blaine Anderson. Blaine, this is my dad, Burt Hummel, and my stepmom, Carole Hudson-Hummel,” Kurt introduced them.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” Blaine said, offering a handshake to each of them.

“Anderson? I thought you said he was Rachel’s brother?” Burt asked Kurt, skeptically.

“I am. But I was 8 when our dads adopted me, and I asked if I could keep the surname that was on my birth certificate,” Blaine answered.

“Did you boys eat yet? There are some leftovers I can heat up if you’re hungry,” Carole offered.

“Oh, no thank you, Carole. Not right now anyway. Maybe later? We sort of filled up on celebratory ice cream.” Kurt said. He then smirked and looked at Blaine. “Even though you lost,” he added, playfully.

“We did not lose! We came in _second_! There’s a big difference,” Blaine replied, faking being affronted.

“You mean at the competition today? Or was it a different competition? Kurt told me you weren’t a member of New Directions. So, you are a part of a different group then?” Carole asked, a little confused.

“Yes. I go to Dalton Academy. I’m a member of the show choir there. The Warblers were one of the groups that were competing against the New Directions today,” he answered.

“Dalton Academy? Never heard of it. Is that a high school? College? Where is that?” Burt asked him.

“It’s a private high school in Westerville. After I came out in 8th grade, I was having a lot of problems with bullies. My dads and I thought it would be best to look into alternative school districts. Dalton has a _very_ strict no bullying policy and excellent academic standards. So I applied there for high school instead of attending McKinley, like Rachel,” Blaine explained.

“Westerville’s a bit of a commute isn’t it?” Carole asked.

“It is. But Dalton offers a boarding option as well, so I live in the dorms on campus. I come home for breaks and on weekends if I don’t have any clubs or activities to attend,” he told her.

“So, you a Senior too, or…?” Burt asked him.

“Yes, sir. I am,” Blaine replied.

“Okay. So you guys are the same age then,” Burt said, sounding relieved.

“Well, we’re in the same grade, but I won’t be 18 until February, so Kurt’s quite a few months older than I am,” he corrected. “But I guess with less than a year difference, I suppose it would be fair to say we’re the same age.”

Rachel burst into the kitchen with a scared looking Finn following close behind.

“Blaine! I wasn’t done talking to you. That was really rude!” She then noticed Burt and Carole and lowered her voice to a more normal level. “Excuse me, Hummel Family, I just need to speak with my brother alone for a moment,” she said, sweetly, then tried to pull Blaine from the room.

“Not gonna happen, Rach,” Blaine told her, refusing to budge. “We _are_ going to talk, but not alone. Kurt will be there too. You owe both of us an explanation _and_ an apology,” he demanded.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Rachel said, unconvincingly, looking anywhere except at her brother.

“Why don’t we take this conversation up to my room? Shall we?” Kurt interjected.

Rachel appraised the two of them. “No. It’s probably best if Blaine goes home now.” She gave Blaine a serious look. “You and I will talk later. I’ll see you at home.” Rachel made a small shooing motion with her hand, expecting Blaine to leave.

Blaine was baffled by his sister’s comments. “And how, exactly, would you like me to get there? Walk? Your car is in our driveway, and my car happens to be sitting in Dalton’s student parking lot,” he told her.

Rachel huffed. Burt couldn’t take anymore bickering. “Will someone please tell me what is going on here?” he asked the room.

Kurt and Blaine both motioned Rachel to explain it to Burt. “Go on. Explain. Because I think we deserve some answers,” Kurt said to her.

“I’m sorry. I just don’t feel comfortable talking about a _private_ family matter in front of all of you. Finn, will you give Blaine and I a ride home please?” Rachel said, while staring at her own hands the entire time.

“Uh, sure…?” Finn replied, uncertain.

“Rachel, you can go home if you want, but I’m staying here with my boyfriend for a little while longer,” Blaine told her. He then nudged Kurt to leave the kitchen mouthing the words ‘your room?’, to which Kurt nodded. Blaine looked back over at Burt and Carole, “I apologize for the disturbance. It was a pleasure meeting you.”

“ _No_! I won’t allow it!” Rachel yelled as Kurt took Blaine’s hand again, leading him out of the room and up the stairs – all while ignoring Rachel’s demands for them to stop.

\---

“Well that was a lovely first impression I just left on your family,” Blaine said, sarcastically, once they reached Kurt’s room.

Rachel stormed into the room a few seconds later. “I _cannot_ allow this!” she shouted.

Blaine sighed loudly. “Allow _what_ , exactly?” he asked.

“This!” she said, gesturing between the two of them.

“Isn’t that a tad hypocritical of you? Or did you forget that you are, in fact, dating _my_ brother?” Kurt said, with irritation.

“That is completely different!” she argued.

“How so?” Kurt asked.

“Because Finn is your _step_ brother, and I was dating him _before_ you were related,” Rachel responded.

Both Kurt and Blaine rolled their eyes at that response.

“The first time, maybe,” Kurt replied. “But the two of you have broken up and gotten back together so many times – most of which happened _after_ he became my brother by the way – that it’s hard to keep track of it all.”

“You’re missing my point!” she huffed. “You’re my best friend. You _can’t_ date my brother.”

“So, all of the lying and manipulating you did…was because you don’t want to share me? Or is it that you don’t want to share Kurt?” Blaine asked, hurt and angry.

“Neither! How did this even happen anyway? You spoke for, like, 5 minutes; a _month_ ago,” she asked, trying to take the focus off her.

“Are you ashamed of me, Rachel?” Blaine asked her, sadly.

Surprise crossed Rachel’s face. “What? No! Why would you think that?” she said, sounding genuine.

“Because when I walked into your greenroom this morning, none of your friends had any clue who I was. Your boyfriend and his friend wanted to beat me up because they thought I was _hitting_ on you. And you just stood there and _let_ them. You didn’t say _one_ damn word to me the entire time I was there. It was _Kurt_ who stopped Finn and Puck. _Kurt_ was the one telling everyone that you are my sister. Until I stepped foot into that greenroom today, I honestly thought that Kurt was just exaggerating when he told me you never talk about me with your friends. The only explanation that seems to make any sense is that you are ashamed of me for some reason,” Blaine explained to her, voice full of melancholy. 

“I’m not ashamed of you,” Rachel said.

“Then why didn’t you stand up for me? Why did _Kurt_ have to explain to everyone who I was? Huh, Rachel? Why?” Blaine’s voice was getting louder and angrier with each question.

“I wasn’t expecting to see you yet. I froze. I didn’t know what to say…how to explain that my brother was our competition. Thanks to Jesse, the New Directions don’t trust me talking to our competitors. I thought I wouldn’t have to explain that I knew you until _after_ we had performed,” she told him.

“That’s a poor excuse and you know it. Even if that does explain why they didn’t know I was a Warbler, it doesn’t explain why they didn’t know I _existed_ ,” he replied. “All of _my_ friends know I have a sister. They also know your name; and most of them have even met you or at least know what you look like. And my entire show choir knew that you were a member of New Directions as soon as we received the list of our Sectionals’ competitors.”

Kurt rubbed soothing circles into Blaine’s back as he argued with Rachel; trying to both calm and comfort his boyfriend.

“What my friends do or do not know about you is not important. What _is_ important is that you cannot date Kurt. End of discussion!” Rachel explained to Blaine.

“Rachel, you do not get a say in who I date! The _only_ person, other than myself, who has any say in my dating life, is the person I’m dating. I asked Kurt out. He said yes. Deal with it!” Blaine told her.

“Rachel,” Kurt sighed. “What, exactly, do you have against me dating Blaine? Because just a few hours ago you were _ecstatic_ that someone I liked, someone that made me _happy_ , had sent me flowers. You were so happy that my feelings might actually be returned – that I had a chance at a romantic relationship. And now, just because that person turned out to be your brother, you are opposed to the idea of it. I think we just want to understand _why_ ,” Kurt asked her.

“This whole thing is just wrong,” Rachel said, sternly, only half-listening to Kurt.

“No, Rachel. _You’re_ wrong,” Blaine replied. “I don’t want to argue with you about this anymore. If you’re not willing to give me a straight answer about anything then you can _leave_. I still have questions I need you to answer, but I’m just too upset right now. So, just go home. Or go be with your boyfriend. I don’t care; just _go_ ,” Blaine said to her, as he curled into Kurt.

Rachel just stood in the room with her mouth open in shock at being dismissed by her brother like that. Blaine ignored her and took refuge in his boyfriend’s embrace. Kurt held him tightly and placed light kisses on his temple, whispering words of comfort and encouragement.

After a few moments of being ignored, Rachel stomped out of the room.

\---

“I’m really sorry, Kurt. Rachel and I don’t normally fight like this. She’s always been one of my best friends. We’ve always gotten along so well. I mean, yeah, we’re both pretty competitive people, but it’s always been good, clean fun; never anything like what just happened. I have no idea what’s gotten into her; why she’s acting like this,” Blaine said, while cuddling with his boyfriend on Kurt’s bed.

“It’s not your fault. Something is definitely up with her,” Kurt replied.

“Despite her appalling behavior, I’m glad that you agreed to go out with me. Kissing you is even better than I imagined it would be,” Blaine told him, just before pressing his lips against Kurt’s. The kiss started off slow and sweet but quickly turned frantic and desperate. Blaine’s tongue was caressing Kurt’s lip, seeking permission for entrance, which Kurt readily granted.

After a few moments of intensely making out, the two of them broke apart, breathing heavily. “Wow…” Kurt said, stunned.

“Yeah,” Blaine agreed.

The two boys looked at each other and broke out into a fit of giggles. “Um, maybe we should cool down a bit?” Kurt suggested. “Don’t want to get too carried away.”

Blaine nodded at him. “Okay.” He then leaned in to give Kurt another soft kiss. They were both able to keep their hormones in check this time, limiting the kiss to a few quick seconds.

When the kiss broke apart, Kurt gave Blaine a sly smile. “So, exactly how long have you been imagining kissing me? Huh, Mr. Anderson?”

“Since the day I found you in my kitchen, and you told me you were hiding from Rachel.”

“Really?” he replied, shocked.

“I’d never met anyone like you before,” Blaine said, shrugging. “In the short amount of time we spoke, I could tell that in addition to being gorgeous and having an incredible fashion sense, that you were also smart and compassionate. You were different than how Rachel would talk about the other boys in her Glee Club. You were kind and polite…well mannered. You seemed to actually care about – and get along with – Rachel; you weren’t just placating her. And considering how well you knew your way around my kitchen – like knowing exactly where the pain relievers are kept – and how at ease you seemed being there even while Rachel was upstairs, meant that it wasn’t just Rachel that was comfortable with having you in the house, my dads were too. It’s the whole reason I asked Rachel if you were gay within seconds of you leaving our house that day. I wanted to know if I actually had a shot with you. Also, did I mention that you’re really gorgeous?”

Kurt giggled at him. “You may have mentioned that last part once or twice. But I don’t mind hearing it again.” He then sighed as he frowned. “I still don’t get why she lied to you though. Why she lied to both of us. What purpose does that serve?”

“Well, it’s obvious she doesn’t want us dating,” he said, bitterly. “Maybe lying to us was a way for her to keep us separated? She could tell I liked you – especially since I flat-out told her I thought you were gorgeous and that I attempted to flirt with you – so she lied to me; that way I wouldn’t try to pursue anything with you if I ever saw you again. Then when you asked about our weekend… she wanted to make sure you believed that my pathetic attempts at flirting with you weren’t serious, so she told you I had a girlfriend; that way you wouldn’t try to read too much into what happened that day or something.”

“Your attempts at flirting weren’t _pathetic_. I’ve just never had anyone flirt with me before, so I wasn’t used to it and didn’t know how to react. Plus, I wasn’t even sure that that was what was happening. Because even before Rachel told me you had a girlfriend, I had assumed you were straight…just…” Kurt paused, trying to figure out how to word what he wanted to say, “I mean, you grew up with Hiram and LeRoy for parents. Nothing against them or anything – because I honestly love your dads – but I highly doubt any child of theirs is going to display copious amounts of toxic masculinity. I guess I just figured that you were a straight boy that wasn’t afraid to show, or act on, his emotions – someone that was comfortable in his own sexuality enough to make jokes or be around someone like me without fear of ‘being turned’ or whatever – if that makes sense.”

Blaine looked over at Kurt critically. “I suppose I can see where you’re coming from with that. After all, when I thought you were panicking because I assumed what I said made you uncomfortable, I told you that it was just an expression and that I say things like that to my friends all the time, so yeah, I get it.”

\---

A few minutes later, Burt knocked on Kurt’s open door, poking his head inside the room. “Mind if I come in?”

“No, not at all,” Kurt replied, motioning him into the room. “What’s up?”

“Finn just drove Rachel home,” he began. “I was hoping you two might be able to explain that shouting match earlier.”

“I’m really sorry about that, Mr. Hummel,” Blaine said. “Rachel and I don’t normally argue like that. And I’m not really sure I understand the full situation myself, to be honest.”

“Explain what you do know then,” he replied.

“Okay,” Blaine agreed, nodding. “Up until I walked into this house earlier, as far as Rachel knew, Kurt and I have only ever spoken to each other _once_. She has no idea that we’ve been talking to each other behind her back for the past month. After we first met, Rachel had told each of us a few lies about the other in order to try to prevent us from developing any kind of relationship. But we ran into each other a few days later and realized the truth. We decided not to tell Rachel because Sectionals was coming up and we had just learned that we were competing against each other. We thought she would make a huge fuss over it, and we wanted to keep the peace. Not only that, but Kurt didn’t want her to know all the details about what happened with his bully at school. And that was a big focus for a lot of our conversations. So it is a little hard to explain why we were talking so much when we couldn’t tell her what we were talking about.

“I had thought because Sectionals was over, I wouldn’t have to deal with Rachel’s wrath of ‘dating my competitor’,” he continued. “So when Kurt came over today after the competition, I asked him out. But I guess Rachel has other reasons why she doesn’t want us to date. Because she is really upset with us – with _me_ – for the two of us becoming boyfriends. I just don’t know what those reasons are or why she’s so against us dating. Because all she’s said so far is that it’s ‘wrong’, but she won’t tell us _why_ she thinks that.”

Burt nodded along with Blaine’s explanation with a contemplative look on his face. “What kind of lies did she tell you boys?”

“She told Blaine I was straight,” Kurt replied. “Can you believe that? And she told me that he had a serious girlfriend that he was planning on _proposing_ to after graduation.”

“Why would she do that?” Burt asked. “Because of the competition?”

“We don’t know why,” Blaine answered. “As far as we know, it wasn’t because of Sectionals because neither team had been informed who they were competing against until a few days after our first conversation at my house. We were hoping we could _talk_ to her and find out but… you saw the way she refused to have a civilized conversation when she found out we are together.”

“How did the two of you figure out she was lying to you?” Burt asked.

Blaine gave Kurt a questioning glance, causing him to take a deep breath then let it out slowly. “You remember how when I was telling you about that day at the gas station, I said that I had stopped there because I’d been driving around town after school all day to clear my head? Well, actually, the truth is, I left school during lunch so that I could drive out to Dalton. New Directions had just found out we were competing against them, and the guys in Glee Club were pressuring me to go spy on them. They wanted to know what about the Warblers had Rachel so spooked. When I saw Blaine with the Warblers, I realized he was why she didn’t want to compete against them. Blaine noticed me before I could leave, and we ended up talking for a while.”

When Kurt paused to gather his thoughts, Blaine chimed in. “I could tell there was something bothering him – other than getting caught spying. So, I invited him out for coffee. When he mentioned having problems with homophobic bullies, I questioned what he meant, then told him what Rachel had said to me. Then I mentioned having had my own share of problems with bullies when I came out, so he told me about what Rachel told him. But neither of us could confront her about it without letting her know that Kurt had been at Dalton.”

“Which is why you’ve been keeping the fact you two were getting closer a secret,” Burt replied in understanding, nodding at them. “Alright, I understand.” He sighed, giving them a helpless expression. “I don’t know what to tell you boys though. You’re just gonna have to find a way for the three of you to talk this through.” Burt then focused his gaze on Kurt and gave him a stern look. “Considering all that happened, I’m gonna let you off the hook for skipping school this time. But _don’t_ let it happen again. I don’t care how old you are, you are still a high school student living in my house; which means _I’m_ responsible for your education, got it?”

“Yes, Dad,” Kurt said. “Thank you.”

“Alright. I’ll leave you two alone for now.”


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: discussion of past bullying due to homophobia
> 
> hyperlink in chapter goes to an edited photo (made by me) of the item being described

“We still have to talk to Rachel,” Blaine said, snuggling into Kurt’s side once Burt had left.

“I know,” he sighed. “I just don’t know _how_ if she won’t listen. I thought finding out that I had gone to Dalton to spy would be the thing that made her upset, not that you and I started dating. I mean, she was _so_ excited earlier – when we were on the bus coming home from Sectionals – because I told her the flowers I got were from ‘the guy I’d been talking to’. And the way she kept teasing me about having a ‘secret boyfriend’ – even though you and I weren’t actually dating – because she wanted me to be happy… It’s hard to believe that she would change her tune about all of that just because it turns out my ‘mystery man’ is you.”

“I know exactly what you mean,” Blaine agreed. “I’m almost afraid to go home because she’s going to be there, and I won’t have you with me to help with the conversation.”

“Maybe it’s better if I’m not there,” Kurt replied, uncertainly. He saw Blaine give him a quizzical glance and tried to elaborate. “It’s just…you saw the way she was trying to talk to you alone earlier, then got upset that you wanted me there. Maybe she’ll be more inclined to open up if it’s just the two of you? …Or you could always have me on speakerphone while you talk to her. I know it’s not the same as me being physically there, but at least I’d be able to hear and contribute to the conversation.”

“I think I prefer the speakerphone method,” Blaine told him. Looking around Kurt’s room for the first time since entering it, his entire body went stiff as his eyes focused on something across the room.

“Blaine? What’s wrong? Everything okay?”

Blaine didn’t reply; instead he got off the bed, walked over to the far wall, and began examining a painting that was displayed there. “Where did you get this?”

Kurt checked to see what he was looking at and saw the [painting of a tea set](http://www.imagebam.com/image/5ddc6b1349360546) that he’s had since he was a little kid. “The painting? I’ve had that since I was six or seven? If I recall correctly, my mom and I bought it at a yard sale somewhere. When I was little, I used to have tea parties in my backyard with my mom and my stuffed animals. I remember seeing that painting and thinking how pretty it was – with all the different colors and the butterflies instead of regular handles on the teacups. I really liked how each cup was a different color, but it still looked like a uniform set. I told my mom that I wanted a tea set just like it for our tea parties. That wasn’t possible though, so I had to settle for the painting instead. I keep it up because it reminds me of my mom.” Kurt looked over at Blaine critically, realizing he hadn’t taken his eyes off the painting the entire time. “Why do you ask?”

Blaine lifted his hand and shakily pointed to the lower righthand corner where letters T E A were painted.

“Tea? What about it? Why do you seem shocked that a painting of a tea set is titled ‘TEA’?”

“That’s not the title of the painting,” Blaine said, solemnly, shaking his head. “That’s the artist’s signature. Theresa Elaine Anderson. My mom painted this.”

“Are you sure?”

Blaine nodded at him. “I told you my mom used to paint still life portraits before, right? That painting of pansies I mentioned to you…it has the same signature in the corner. And I have that exact tea set packed away at home too. The tea set was handmade by my mom’s father and given as a gift to her mother – my grandmother. As far as I know, that tea set is a one-of-a-kind, so it can’t just be a coincidence.”

“Wow. This is probably the wrong thing to ask considering what you just told me, but it’s something I’ve wondered for a really long time,” Kurt began, hesitantly. “Since you actually own this tea set… Do you know why it only has three cups? Most sets have either two or four teacups, but this one has three.”

Blaine chuckled before turning to look at Kurt with an adoring smile. “Thank you for not asking me to explain my thoughts or emotions because I’m not sure I understand either of those right now. And as far as the tea set goes…there actually is a fourth cup. It’s pale yellow. I don’t know for certain, but I suspect it probably wasn’t included in the painting because one of the butterfly wings is broken.” He looked back at the painting in awe. “I can’t believe you have this. I know my dads have several of her paintings stored away in their attic, but I didn’t realize there was _more_ of them. It makes me wonder… Was this a gift to someone who eventually sold it later for some reason? Or did someone buy it from her then decide they didn’t want it anymore? Did my mom sell her artwork regularly? If so, where did she sell it? And to whom? I don’t recall our family ever having a yard sale, so I have no idea how it ended up in one. I really wish I knew. Seeing this has got me curious to know if there are other pieces of my mom’s artwork being displayed in other people’s homes. I really hope there is. And I hope that all the people that own some of it, all have fond memories attached to her paintings, like you do. Because even if those people never met my mom, or don’t know anything about the artist, having her work on display…it’s like a small piece of her lives on.”

“That’s a really sweet way to look at it,” Kurt said.

“Would you mind if I took a picture of this?”

“Not at all! Take as many pictures as you want.”

“I really wish I had my good camera with me,” Blaine muttered, as he took out his phone to take a picture.

“Well, this painting isn’t going anywhere,” Kurt told him. “You can always come back with a different camera and take more pictures later.”

Blaine smiled as he leaned over to kiss Kurt. “Thank you.” He then snapped a quick photo of the two of them before pulling away to take the picture of the painting on the wall.

\---

After talking for another hour or so, Kurt and Blaine went back downstairs, then reheated and ate the leftovers Carole had left for them. Once they were done eating, they talked with Burt and Carole for a while so they could get to know Blaine better.

When Finn arrived back home, he joined them in the living room. “Rachel told me to tell you to go home,” he told Blaine, looking uncomfortable. “But I’d like to talk to both of you first, if that’s okay?”

“Well, I wasn’t planning on leaving just yet, so sure, Finn, we can talk,” Blaine answered.

“Yeah,” Kurt agreed. “What did you want to talk about?”

Burt and Carole excused themselves so the boys could talk privately but warned them to behave themselves before leaving the room.

Finn glanced at them anxiously before speaking. “Alright, so, um, I guess I’m just wondering why Rachel is mad at you guys? Because she wouldn’t tell me. And, I don’t know, but you seem like a nice guy? You were super polite to everyone at Sectionals today. And Rachel said you guys usually get along too. So, I don’t get it.”

“Neither do we,” Blaine replied. “I have no idea what Rachel’s problem is.”

“Earlier, you guys said something about her lying to you? What was that about?”

Kurt and Blaine shared a look, then Kurt motioned for Blaine to answer. “Rachel told me that Kurt was straight. She said the only reason you didn’t mind her spending time with him was because Kurt was shallow and only liked blonde girls with big boobs. Then she told Kurt that I had a serious girlfriend that I was planning on proposing to. But I’m gay, and until today, I’ve never dated _anyone_ before, let alone a girl.”

“What? Why would she say that? That doesn’t make any sense. I mean, yeah, he did date Brittany for, like, a week, but Kurt’s _totally_ gay – like really, _really_ gay. No offense, dude.”

“None taken. And we don’t know why she lied, Finn,” Kurt told him. “That’s what we were trying to ask her. But she refused to tell us.”

“Oh. Okay. So then…how did you guys get together? ‘Cause Rachel said that you only spoke one time, for, like, a few minutes.” Finn then looked at Kurt and hesitantly added, “And I thought that you said you liked that guy that you’ve been talking on the phone to? The one that Rachel thought was your boyfriend?”

“Blaine _is_ the guy I’ve been talking to,” Kurt replied. He shared another look with Blaine before sighing and looking back at Finn. “When you sent me to spy on the Warblers… I ran into Blaine while I was at Dalton, found out he was a Warbler, and realized _that_ was the real reason Rachel didn’t want to face them at Sectionals. But I didn’t learn anything else about them; so, as far as spying goes, my visit was a total bust. However, Blaine and I got talking while I was there – about more than just me attempting to spy. We realized Rachel had lied to us, then we exchanged phone numbers and have been keeping in touch and talking ever since.

“I didn’t want to tell you guys what I learned at Dalton because I knew you would bring it up in Glee. And you know how Rachel feels about spying. She’d be so worried about us possibly getting disqualified; or scared that I might share information with Blaine and the Warblers about New Directions. She would have everyone convinced that there was another Jesse/Vocal Adrenaline situation going on. That’s why I lied when I said I never got past the front gate of Dalton. I didn’t want Rachel to freak out for no reason.

“That’s also why I refused to tell you and Rachel who I had been talking to. Even though Blaine and I never discussed our respective Glee Clubs or Sectionals, I thought if she knew it was Blaine on the phone, she’d get upset about the spying and the potential of me leaking information to our competition,” he explained.

“So you guys have been dating this whole time?”

“No. I only asked him out today, while you and Rachel were at Breadstix,” Blaine answered. “I thought since New Directions won, and the Warblers were no longer your competitors, that Rachel wouldn’t have a reason to object to us getting together. Apparently, I was wrong.”

“If you weren’t dating, or talking about Glee, what were you guys talking about then? Why be secretive?” Finn asked.

“Rachel _never_ would have believed me if I said that we weren’t talking about Glee, and I’m not sure how many of you guys would have sided with her on that. We all know that Rachel doesn’t always play by the rules. I’m sure there are a few people in Glee Club that would automatically think that Blaine _must_ be the same way since they’re related, and they’d think his friendship with me wasn’t genuine. I didn’t want to start any drama with anyone, especially so close to a competition, so I purposefully didn’t mention it.” Kurt hesitated a moment before answering the rest of Finn’s question. “As for what we were talking about… We talked about school and homework, college applications, our families and friends, and other random things; you know, regular things that friends talk about. But I also told Blaine about my issues with Karofsky. He helped me out a lot with that whole situation – giving me advice, and just listening without judgment. It felt really nice to be able to talk to someone who could actually understand some of what I was going through.”

“What are you talking about? The whole Glee Club knows what it’s like to have Karofsky bully us. We understand. You could have talked to _us_. We at least could have done something to protect you,” Finn said.

“No, Finn; you couldn’t,” Kurt replied, bitterly. “The faculty at school had been ignoring my complaints for years, so how exactly could you have protected me? Be my bodyguard 24/7? That’s just not feasible. And trust me, even if it was, he’d find a way around that. And you may _think_ you understand the bullying that I went through…but you don’t. You–”

Finn cut Kurt off before he could finish. “ _Everyone_ in Glee Club has been slushied by him, not just you. We’ve _all_ had him call us names and make fun of us, not just you. He’s been a jerk to _everyone_ in Glee Club, not just you. So, yeah, I _do_ understand what it’s like to be bullied by him.”

“Having Karofsky make fun of you and call you gay for being a part of Glee Club is not the same as what he did to me,” Kurt told him. “You’ve been slushied, what? Once? Twice? In the entire three and a half years you’ve been at McKinley? I get slushied once or twice a _week_! Have you ever been tossed into a dumpster before? No, you haven’t. He never put his hands on you. He didn’t leave you _covered_ in bruises _every day_. He didn’t _hate_ you just for existing. The impact of his homophobia…it’s _not_ something you can relate to; no matter how hard you try.”

“Blaine doesn’t go to McKinley. He doesn’t even know Karofsky. How could he understand, but your friends can’t?” Finn asked.

Kurt suppressed a groan, took a few deep breaths, then tried to reply in a way that Finn might understand. “Do you ever have conversations with Rachel about football?”

“Not really.”

“Why not?”

“She doesn’t really get it. She tries sometimes, but…she gets a lot of stuff wrong a lot. And other times it’s like she doesn’t even care.”

“But you talk to Puck about football, right?” Kurt checked.

“Well, yeah! He’s on the team. He knows how to play. He understands the rules. He likes watching games too. So it makes more sense to talk to him about it,” Finn told him.

“And that is exactly why I chose to talk to Blaine instead of you or anyone else in New Directions. Because he’s gay. He’s dealt with bullies that hated him for something out of his control. He understands firsthand just how _terrifying_ homophobia can be,” Kurt answered. “I know you mean well, but just like how Rachel doesn’t always grasp what you’re saying when you talk about football...you and the rest of the Glee Club don’t always understand me and the things I face every day. You’re not gay. Your experiences and mine are not the same. You may _try_ to understand what I go through, but unless you are gay – unless you have experienced the paralyzing fear of someone twice your size targeting you in such a specific and hostile way – then you could never fully grasp just how much I was affected by what Karofsky did.

“The only person in New Directions that could even possibly come _close_ to understanding that is Santana…and to a lesser extent, Brittany. But even they wouldn’t be able to _fully_ understand. Despite being open about their sexualities, both of them are still popular. They haven’t been shunned like lepers with a contagious disease. They don’t have people constantly yelling slurs at them, or pushing them around, throwing things at them. They have never been targeted by anyone at school in a _hateful_ , vengeful way just for being alive.”

When Kurt paused to gather his thoughts, Blaine interjected. “The whole reason I go to Dalton is because of how I was treated by bullies when I came out. I may not have gone through _everything_ that Kurt did, but I went through enough. I can understand what it’s like to be hated and targeted for something beyond your control; to have people want to physically _hurt_ – and I mean _seriously_ hurt – you because you’re different. I also know what it’s like to have the adults that are supposed to protect you turn a blind eye to what’s happening – or worse, blame _you_ for what other people are doing to you. Not only could I sympathize with what was happening to Kurt, I could empathize with him too. So, while I may not be familiar with the _people_ involved, I am familiar with the _emotions_ involved. And sometimes, that’s more important.”

Finn looked stunned at their replies. “Oh.” After taking a moment to let that information sink in, he looked between Kurt and Blaine critically. “There was something else Rachel said… She was just kinda rambling to herself, so I don’t know if I was supposed to hear it or not… But she said that the only reason the two of you are dating is because neither of you know any other gay boys your own age. Is that true? Because Kurt is my brother and he deserves better than that.”

Kurt clenched his jaw and balled his hands up into fists. “No,” he seethed, “that is a lie.”

“Finn,” Blaine began, placing a calming hand on Kurt’s arm, “Kurt is _not_ the only gay boy my age that I know. But he _is_ the only one I’ve been interested in dating. I didn’t start dating Kurt because I wanted a boyfriend and there were no other options. I started dating him because I liked _him_. And my sister knows better than to even suggest otherwise.”

“If Rachel Berry thinks that I’m so desperate for a boyfriend that I’m going to go out with the first gay boy I meet regardless of whether or not I actually _like_ them, then she doesn’t know me very well,” Kurt added.

Finn nodded in reply before looking at Blaine. “Then we’re cool in my book.” He stood up to leave but paused to add, “Just don’t hurt him – or we won’t be so cool anymore.”

Once Finn was out of the room, Blaine and Kurt shared a look with one another. “Well, at least your brother is accepting of our relationship,” Blaine said. “I probably should go home and talk to Rachel though.”

“Alright. Let me go get my keys and I’ll drive you home.”

When Kurt returned to the living room, Burt was there talking to Blaine. He looked over at Kurt and said, “I know you want to talk to Rachel about everything, but I want you to come right home after you drop him off. It’s too late to be starting a conversation that heavy. You can go over there and talk to her in the morning. Okay?”

“Yeah, Dad, I know.”

“Well, it was nice meeting you, Blaine,” Burt told him. “Good luck with Rachel.” He patted Blaine on the shoulder then left the room.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: mentions of a car accident and subsequent injuries  
> brief mention of implied past child abuse
> 
> hyperlink in chapter goes to an edited photo (made by me) of the item being described

Sunday morning, Kurt awoke earlier than he normally did on a weekend and got ready to start his day. After breakfast, he texted Blaine.

 **To Blaine > From Kurt:** Good morning. Did you talk to Rachel at all last night?

It took about five minutes before he got a response.

 **To Kurt > From Blaine:** I tried but she was avoiding me. I was just about to try again before you texted. She’s downstairs talking to Papa right now. Want to come over?

 **To Blaine > From Kurt:** OMW

~*~

Blaine stayed up in his room until he saw Kurt’s car pull up in front of the house. He quickly hurried down the stairs to let Kurt in before Rachel noticed he was there. “Hi,” Blaine said, answering the door before Kurt could knock. “Come on in. Rachel’s in the kitchen. I haven’t spoken to her yet, so she doesn’t know that you’re coming over.”

“Might as well get this over with,” Kurt said, following him into the house.

LeRoy paused in the middle of his sentence when Blaine and Kurt walked into the kitchen. “I just remembered…I need to go help Hiram in the other room.” As he was walking out of the room, LeRoy stopped next to Blaine and spoke softly to him. “Please don’t kill each other.”

“I’ll try not to,” Blaine replied, smiling at him.

“That’s all I ask,” LeRoy said, then exited the kitchen.

“Kurt, what are you doing here?” Rachel asked, surprised to see him.

“Well, you refused to talk to us yesterday, and we still have questions we’d like answers to,” he replied.

“Rachel, I think we deserve to know why you lied to us. And why you have such a problem with us dating,” Blaine added.

Rachel huffed and stormed out of the kitchen into the living room. Kurt and Blaine followed her into the other room and watched as she curled up into the armchair. The two boys took a seat on the couch next to her.

Rachel glared at Kurt. “What happened to your mystery man - _Jeff_? Don’t look so shocked that I know his name. Finn told me his name after he heard you on the phone with him the other day. I didn’t say anything because I was waiting for you to tell me. But my point is, I thought you wanted to date him? He sent you flowers, didn’t he? Doesn’t that mean he likes you too? Shouldn’t you give him a shot instead of hooking up with my brother?”

Kurt sighed and rolled his eyes. “Rachel, _Blaine_ was my mystery man, not Jeff. Jeff is his _roommate_. I was talking to both of them on speakerphone when Finn heard me say Jeff’s name. I even told Finn that Jeff wasn’t the same person I’d been talking to. And Blaine being my mystery man is _exactly_ the reason why I wouldn’t tell you anything about the guy that I _was_ talking to. I didn’t want you yelling at me about talking to our competition so close to Sectionals.”

“Wait a minute! You’ve been talking to _Blaine_ this whole time?!” she said, shocked. “How and when did that happen? Because I _know_ he didn’t have your number after you left here that weekend he came home. I checked his phone to make sure of it.”

“Remind me to change my passcode on my phone,” Blaine whispered to Kurt while glaring at his sister.

“After we got the lineup for Sectionals, the other boys in Glee convinced me to go spy on the Warblers,” Kurt began.

“What?!” Rachel shrieked.

“The guys were all confused about why you were so adamant about not wanting to face the Warblers. They were _convinced_ that it was because you were afraid that we couldn’t win against them. So they sent me to Dalton to see if I could find anything that we could use against them,” Kurt told her. “When I got there, I ran into Blaine. I realized he was the reason you didn’t want to face them at Sectionals. I lied to Finn and the guys and told them I couldn’t get past Dalton’s front gate. I didn’t want you to find out I’d gone to spy; I didn’t want to start any Jesse-like drama so close to a competition.”

“That doesn’t explain how you got each other’s phone numbers or why you’ve been talking?” she replied.

Kurt took a deep breath, as Blaine rubbed his back soothingly. “The day I went there. I had been having a really bad day. Karofsky was…he was tormenting me more than usual. So, when the guys from Glee got on my case _again_ about going to Dalton, I just walked out of school, got in my car, and drove over there without really thinking about it.

“Blaine noticed that there was something bothering me. He wanted to make sure I was okay. So I told him I’d been having trouble with homophobic bullies at school. He mentioned that he’d gone through something similar, and that if I ever felt like talking about it, he’d listen. So we exchanged phone numbers. After hearing me ramble on about my issues at school he convinced me to talk to my dad – to tell him what was going on. I thought it was only fair to keep him updated about the situation – let him know about the meeting and the expulsion. But Karofsky wasn’t the only thing we talked about. So once that situation was resolved, we kept talking about those _other_ topics too.

“And now that you know how and why we’ve been talking to each other,” Kurt continued, “why don’t you tell us _why you lied to us_.”

“It’s not like it did me any good anyway. You still wound up dating,” she replied, bitterly.

“You lied to us because you didn’t want us to date?” Blaine asked. “Why? What do you have against us dating each other?”

“You go to school in Westerville. You practically live there. You are hardly ever home,” Rachel told him. “When do you plan on seeing each other? Are you going to make special trips back to Lima just to see him? And what’s going to happen when Kurt and I graduate in a few months? We’re leaving Ohio. So, what then? Do you plan on having a relationship where the two of you never even see each other in person? Because those types of relationships don’t work. And then I’ll get stuck in the middle of every single argument you guys ever have, and when you break up, I’ll be forced to choose between my brother and my best friend; and that just isn’t fair to me.”

“Once again, need I remind you that you are dating _my_ brother,” Kurt said. “You are constantly dragging me into the middle of every single argument that you and Finn have – whether I want to be there or not. In fact, the whole reason I was here the day Blaine came home a few weeks ago was because you were mad at Finn. And even when you and Finn were broken up, I still managed to remain friends with both of you. Blaine and I both understand that our relationship with each other is separate from our individual relationships with you. Neither one of us would ever force you to choose between us.”

“As for when and where we’ll see each other,” Blaine added, “Westerville isn’t _that_ far. Plus, I only have a month of track left; my final track meet is a few days before Winter Break starts, so my weekends will be freeing up soon. I’ll be able to come home more often.”

Rachel looked at them and shook her head. “You may _think_ you wouldn’t force me to choose, but you don’t know what could happen. You don’t know the types of arguments you’d get into or how bad the fights will be.” Looking at Blaine she added, “And I can’t believe you’re implying that you’d drive out to Lima just to go on a _date_ with Kurt. You’ve never driven home just to hang out with _me_ before.”

“Actually, I have driven home just to spend time with you. Remember last year, when you wanted to go to that Community Theater production of _Cabaret_ , but none of your friends would go with you? I drove up that same night and took you to see it. Then I had to leave really early the next morning to get back to school in time for my first class,” Blaine reminded her. “But I don’t randomly come home often because usually whenever I offer to come home so we can hang out, you suggest we meet up someplace in the middle. Like that coffee shop we always go to. Which, by the way, is something else Kurt and I can do. We can meet up at places in between our schools. That way neither one of us has to do a ton of driving to see each other.”

“What about after graduation?” she argued. “Kurt and I are moving out of Ohio. And you don’t even know what you want to do yet, nevermind where you want to go.”

“I think you are forgetting that I’m _also_ graduating and moving out of Ohio at the end of this school year. I may not know which college I want to attend, but I do know that I want to go to New York. _Every_ school I’ve sent applications to – or _want_ to send applications to – is in New York City. Most of them are in Manhattan,” Blaine said. “And Kurt plans to go to college in New York as well. So, we’ll actually be living _closer_ to each other after graduation.”

“Rachel…” Kurt began, sighing. “Are you really telling us that the whole reason you lied to us, and the reason you got so mad that we started dating, is because you’re afraid we’ll never see each other and break up? And that you’ll get stuck in the middle? That you are worried our relationship might somehow have a negative impact on you? Or is there some other reason you’re not telling us?”

“Isn’t that reason enough?” Rachel replied.

“No! That is definitely not a good enough reason for _screaming_ at us at my house yesterday,” Kurt told her.

“Nor is it a good enough reason for you to tell Kurt I was planning on _proposing_ to an imaginary girlfriend,” Blaine added. “Or calling said girlfriend by the name that you did.”

Rachel had the decency to look ashamed at that. She lowered her voice and quietly muttered, “It was the first girl’s name that popped into my head when I thought of you. And I told him it was short for Katrina.”

“Lying about her full name doesn’t make it any better.”

“I worked so hard – for years – to make sure _this_ never happened,” Rachel whined, raising her voice again as she motioned her hand between the two boys while ignoring Blaine’s last comment. “And all my hard work gets ruined like,” she snapped her fingers together, “ _that_. All because you _had_ to spy on the Warblers. This is so not fair.”

“Wait. Hold on. Rewind,” Blaine said. “Years? Did you really say you worked for _years_ to prevent us from dating? How is that possible? I didn’t even know Kurt _existed_ until about a month ago.”

“Exactly! There is a reason he was the only person in New Directions that I never mentioned to you,” Rachel said. “I knew this would happen if the two of you ever met. So I did what I had to, to make sure that never happened.”

“What are you talking about, Rachel?” Kurt asked, cautiously.

Rachel sighed dramatically. “You and I didn’t exactly get along when we first met,” she told Kurt. “I was worried that if I introduced you to my brother, the two of you would bond over being gay or something, and then you’d turn him against me. Either that or you’d try to seduce him then turn on him, leaving him with a broken heart just because you knew it would cause _me_ undue suffering. I didn’t want to take any chances of you using him to hurt me. So, I was very careful not to mention him at all. I even made sure not to talk about him to any of the other Glee members, so they wouldn’t say anything about him around you.

“But then once we became friends, I realized that I still couldn’t introduce you to him because there was still a chance that you might want to date him. And who could really blame you? He’s basically the male version of me. So naturally, you would want to go out with him. But I also realized that if the two of you began dating, it wouldn’t actually work out because of distance and stuff, and then I’d be stuck in the middle of all of the drama – forced to take sides. As a result, I’d wind up severely damaging my relationship with one – or both – of you. Because if I tried to talk to, or hang out with, either of you after the two of you broke up – which you obviously no doubt would – the other one would get on my case and accuse me of fraternizing with the enemy. So, I made sure to never talk about him, and that I only invited you over when Blaine wasn’t home – that way you’d never meet him.

“That’s why,” she continued, looking right at Blaine, “whenever I talked about school, or Glee, or my friends, I never mentioned Kurt. I was always being very careful about the people I talked about and the things that I said. I made sure Daddy and Papa knew that they weren’t allowed to mention Kurt’s name around you either. I told them that the two of you didn’t like each other and that they should steer clear of speaking about Kurt in front of you unless they wanted to witness you throw a diva fit of epic proportions. I thought if you heard them talking about Kurt, you might ask them questions about him or worse, try to meet him. And that is _also_ why you were not allowed to attend any New Directions performances – or meet any of my friends. Because I didn’t want any of them to mention him to you or suggest that the two of you should meet. And it’s not like any of the kids in Glee that went to middle school with us know we’re related. We have different last names, and we hardly ever hung out with each other while at school. And neither one of us ever hung out with any of them when we were younger either. I don’t even think any of them even remember that you attended the same middle school as us.”

“Oh my god, Rachel,” Blaine replied, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. “I can’t even… How are you _this_ selfish? Wait…wait just a second.” He opened his eyes and looked at his sister accusingly. “Is this why you keep trying to turn me away from going to NYADA and studying theater? And why you keep e-mailing me about colleges in Chicago and California? And why, when I mentioned the possibility of _us_ getting an apartment together in New York, you insisted you wanted to live in the dorms to get the quote-unquote ‘full college experience’, even though we both know you’ll hate it? All because you didn’t want to take any chances that might lead to me meeting Kurt?”

“Maybe,” she replied, shrugging.

“But if distance is your main concern about my relationship with Kurt not working out…” Blaine began, “then your theory of Kurt and I fighting due to long-distance separation doesn’t make sense if I’m living in New York. We’d be living in the same city. _Possibly_ even going to the same school. So why keep me from meeting him then?”

“Just because you’re living in the same city doesn’t mean you’ll never fight. You may not be fighting due to long-distance, but you’d still have arguments, and I’d still be stuck in the middle,” she told him. “Finn and I argue all the time. It’s a natural part of a relationship. But you wouldn’t know that because you’ve never been in one. And without any relationship experience, you’re more likely to make mistakes and get into even _more_ arguments and fights with each other. _Especially_ if you’re both going to different schools and have different plans for the future. Neither one of you has ever dated anyone –” she cut herself off and hurriedly pointed at Kurt menacingly while sternly adding, “Brittany doesn’t count!” before casually continuing her sentence, “the two of you know nothing about what it takes to maintain a healthy relationship. And maybe if either of you had ever actually been in a relationship before – again Brittany doesn’t count – then _maybe_ I wouldn’t be _as_ opposed to this.”

“You know, Rachel,” Kurt began, “if you and Finn actually _listened_ to each other, then you would not have nearly as many arguments as you do. Not only that but you force me into the middle of your relationship problems with Finn _all_ the time. But no matter what the two of you are arguing about, I am able to maintain a friendship with both of you. I don’t let your problems become mine. Even when you guys broke-up I still maintained my relationships with each of you; I didn’t take sides – no matter how much you tried to make me. I would never put you in that position – to make you choose between your brother or me. Also, saying that Blaine and I couldn’t possibly make a relationship work because we have no prior experience is completely insane.”

“I’m sorry that all of your scheming failed you,” Blaine added. “I like Kurt. And I’m not breaking up with him just because you are worried about how my relationship with him might affect you. That’s a whole new level of selfishness – even for you.” He got up off the couch and motioned Kurt to follow him out of the room and up the stairs.

\---

The two boys entered Blaine’s bedroom. Blaine shut the door behind them, twisting the lock for privacy. Kurt looked around the room before taking a seat on the bed. “You know,” Kurt said, looking back at Blaine, “I’ve been over to this house dozens of times, and this is the first time I’ve ever seen the inside of this room. It’s very clean and organized – not at all how I pictured it to look. I’m very happy that the image in my head was wrong.”

“I’m glad I have your approval,” Blaine joked. He sat down next to Kurt, his expression turning apprehensive. “Can I ask you something personal?”

“Sure.”

“Yesterday, Finn mentioned that you dated Brittany? And Rachel basically said the same thing today. I’m just curious about that because I was under the impression that your bully was your first kiss. So, did you just never kiss her or something? I assume you would have dated her before you came out, but at the same time, you told me you already knew you were gay before you joined Glee, so I’m a little confused.” He gave Kurt a searching look, hoping for an explanation that made sense.

Kurt sighed. “I didn’t mention it because it’s not something I’m proud of. And I did kiss her, but I don’t count it because she’s a girl – it didn’t mean anything. Long story short: I got jealous of my dad’s relationship with Finn, and thought going _back in the closet_ would make my dad like me more.”

“Did Brittany know that?”

“No. She thought I had actually turned straight again,” Kurt said, rolling his eyes. He then hurried to add, “But it’s not like she was dating me because she actually _liked_ me or anything. The whole relationship was a sham – we were both using each other, so I don’t even count it as a _real_ relationship. She just wanted to have a perfect record of making out with every boy in school, and I just wanted people to believe I was straight. It only lasted a week – actually, I don’t even think it was a full week, maybe only 4 or 5 days? I doubt she even remembers that it happened. And we never even went on an actual date either. All we did was kiss a few times and hold hands in the hallways at school. I regret _all_ of it.”

“Oh. So, out of curiosity, if you never went on a date with her…have you ever been on a date at all before? Or do I get the honor of being your first date?”

“Technically, we haven’t gone on a date yet,” Kurt replied, playfully. “But _when_ we do, you will be my first. I know you’ve never had a boyfriend before, but have you ever gone on a date before?”

“No. I have been _asked_ out on a date before, but I turned the guy down. I wasn’t interested in him like that. And I didn’t want to lead him on just to get some dating experience. So, you will be my first,” Blaine answered. “And hopefully, that date will take place tomorrow? Before my exhibit? I could take you out to eat? I know a nice restaurant near the gallery we could go to…if you wanted to, that is?”

“I would like that. A lot,” he said, nodding.

Before Kurt could ask the question on his mind, Blaine spoke up again. “Just to clear the air about everything since I am now – _hopefully_ – fully aware of your history…” He saw Kurt nod at him to confirm that statement then continued, “Even though you are the first boyfriend I’ve had, and will be the first person I go on a proper date with… I feel like I should tell you that you, unfortunately, were not my first kiss. There were only two kisses before you. Both were boys but neither one meant anything. They were both a result of silly party games. One was because of Spin the Bottle, the other was because of Truth or Dare. And you are definitely the best kisser of the three.”

“I wasn’t really concerned about that,” Kurt told him. “But thank you for sharing, nonetheless. And I would have to agree that you are definitely the _only_ person that I’ve _enjoyed_ kissing.” He then hesitated a moment before asking, “Can I ask you a personal question now?” Blaine nodded and motioned for him to continue. “I’ve been curious for a while now, and I wasn’t going to say anything, but after hearing you mention it to Rachel downstairs earlier, I have to ask…who is Rina? The first time I mentioned the name to you, you had said that she was someone really special to you, but I’ve never heard you talk about her. Then when you told me about living with your parents before the Berrys adopted you, I thought that maybe Rina was your mom’s name, and that’s why you got so upset. But yesterday, you told me your mom’s name was Theresa. So…?”

Blaine swallowed thickly then let out a heavy sigh. “Do you promise not to make fun of me?”

“Of course. I promise.”

Getting up off the bed, Blaine walked over to the armchair in the corner of his room. He opened the duffle bag that was resting on top of it and pulled out [a stuffed toy rabbit](http://www.imagebam.com/image/df4d211349360669) wearing a tiara, a pink leotard with a frilly pink tutu, and pink satin pointe shoes. Blaine walked back over to the bed and took a seat again, cuddling the stuffed rabbit to his chest. He cautioned a look at Kurt to gauge his reaction then, while gently petting the toy rabbit, tentatively said, “ _This_ is Rina.”

Kurt gave him a quizzical look but didn’t laugh or ask any questions.

“I’ve had her since I was six,” Blaine continued, voice quiet and subdued. “I won her in one of those claw-grab games. It was the first time I had ever played one by myself without someone helping me to guide the claw. Poppy – my biological dad – was _so_ proud of me.” He smiled wistfully as tears began to collect in his eyes but did not fall. He ignored them and tried to finish his story. “He told me that, even though I wasn’t tall enough to see into the container where all the prizes were, I managed to grab the best toy in the whole game. When… when my mom saw what I had won, she told me how special I was to have won such a great prize. She said that rabbits’ feet are considered to be good luck, and I managed to grab a whole rabbit, with all its feet still intact; and that meant that it was _extra_ lucky. My mom said that the rabbit must have known how special I was and wanted to share its luck with me. She told me that as long as I keep this rabbit close to me, I’ll be a recipient of that good luck.”

Blaine let out a shaky breath as he paused his story, debating with himself on whether or not he should continue. He decided quickly, took another deep breath, then forged ahead. “When we got in the car to head home, my mom asked me what I was going to name my new rabbit. I replied, ‘Rina’. When she asked why, I said that it was because she was a Ballerina, but I couldn’t simply name her ‘Ballerina’ – because that’s _what_ she is not _who_ she is – so I shortened it to ‘Rina’. My mom said that it was a very lovely name, and she was sure that Rina was very happy with her new name. Car rides used to make me sleepy though, so soon after that I fell asleep clutching my new toy.”

He snuggled the rabbit closer to him and finally allowed the tears in his eyes to fall. “When I woke up…um…when I woke up, there were all these flashing lights and loud noises. People were yelling, and I had no idea what was going on. All I knew was that I was in pain; I couldn’t move, and no one was answering me. Our car had been hit by a drunk driver. It was a head-on collision. The driver, his passenger, and both of my parents were all killed upon impact. I was the only survivor – walked away with only two broken fingers.” Blaine held up his left hand to show Kurt his slightly crooked ring and pinky fingers. “Everyone at the hospital and all the police and social workers, they all kept saying over and over how _lucky_ I was to survive that crash, and that it was a miracle that my injuries were so minor. Hearing those words so often…I remembered what my mom told me about rabbits’ feet – and about Rina. I honestly believed that my mom was right. That Rina kept me safe. I was lucky because of Rina.

“There was another instance, before I was adopted, when I lived with my foster mother… I told you I was removed from her care because I called 911, right? Well, without going into too many details, Rina helped to keep me safe that night too. I probably would’ve had a concussion had she not broken my fall.”

Blaine got a sad smile on his face then continued, “After I moved in here, my dads told Rachel that Rina was the one toy I didn’t have to share with her; and that she wasn’t allowed to touch her without permission either. Of course, Rachel had a fit about that. She thought that it was so unfair that she wasn’t allowed to play with Rina since Rina is dressed like a ballerina and Rachel was taking ballet classes at the time. Rachel would constantly ask me if she could play with her, but I never let her; she hated that. But luckily, she respected our dads enough to at least ask first and never tried to just take her. Thankfully, about a month later, our dads found a teddy bear that was wearing almost the exact same outfit, so they bought that for Rachel in hopes to appease her. I was grateful because Rachel never asked to play with Rina after that. Although, she did ask if me and Rina would play with her and B.B. – that’s what she named the bear, it’s short for Ballerina Bear.

“But anyway, the point I was trying to make is that I’m a little overprotective of Rina. And Rachel choosing _her_ name to be some made-up, nonexistent girlfriend of mine… it didn’t sit well with me. She should know better.”

Kurt had tried to wipe away the tears from his own eyes before Blaine noticed them. When he regained his composure and found his voice again, he scooted closer toward Blaine. “I am so sorry, Blaine. I had no idea. Thank you for sharing that story with me. It means a lot that you’re willing to trust me with that knowledge.” Noticing the way that Blaine was holding himself made Kurt falter his movements. Instead of reaching out for Blaine like he wanted to, he asked, “Can I give you a hug?”

Blaine smiled at him then very gently placed the stuffed rabbit on the bed next to his pillows before opening his arms up for Kurt. “Yes, please.” He clung to Kurt tightly, burying his face in Kurt’s neck and inhaling his scent.

After a moment, Kurt was able to feel the tension in Blaine’s body begin to lessen.

“Thank you,” Blaine said, softly, into Kurt’s skin. He pulled back from the hug just enough to look Kurt in the eye while still keeping close to him. “Thank you for not making fun of me for caring about a toy rabbit in a tutu.”

“I could never. I knew she was special to you. And now that I know _why_ …there is no humor in that, Bee. Making fun of you would just be cruel.”

Blaine smiled in response before leaning in to kiss Kurt. The kiss was slow and sweet. When they separated, Blaine let out a soft chuckle and said, “I am so glad I get to do that now.”

“So am I,” Kurt replied before kissing Blaine again.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hyperlink in chapter goes to an edited photo (made by me) of the item being described

Kurt stayed in Blaine’s room for a few more hours, discussing the photography exhibit Blaine was a part of and making plans for their date the next day. Blaine also showed Kurt the [portrait of pansies](http://www.imagebam.com/image/fc563f1349360282) that his mother had painted – pointing out the T E A signature in the bottom corner that was identical to the signature on the tea set painting in Kurt’s room.

Kurt was rifling through Blaine’s wardrobe, trying to help him pick out an outfit to wear to the gallery exhibit when there was a knock on Blaine’s door. “Blaine. It’s Dad. May I come in?”

Blaine hopped up off the bed to unlock the door and let Hiram into the room. “Hey, Dad; come on in.”

“Hi, Mr. Berry,” Kurt said, giving him a slight wave.

“Hello, Kurt. I’m sorry to interrupt you boys, and I’ll let the two of you get back to… _whatever_ it was you were doing in just a moment; I just needed to speak to Blaine for a minute, if that’s okay?”

“What’s up?” Blaine asked his father, sounding concerned.

“Your father and I need to go out for a couple of hours,” Hiram began. “We should be back by 4 o’clock. Papa and I were thinking we’d drive you back to Dalton when we get home – stop for dinner somewhere once we get to Westerville? How does that sound?” Looking around the room at the different piles of clothing Kurt had laid out, he added, “You think you’ll be ready to leave by then?”

“Yeah, Dad, that sounds great,” he agreed. “Don’t worry, I’ll have all of this cleaned up and put away before you get home. We’re just trying to find something for me to wear to the exhibit tomorrow.”

“Alright. Well, it’s lunchtime now, so I’m going to leave some money on the kitchen island for you boys to order something if you decide you don’t want to eat the vegan food in the fridge. Rachel has gone out with Finn; she said she wouldn’t be back ‘til after dinner so you don’t have to worry about her right now. But I did want to check and make sure that everything was okay between you and your sister before I leave. So…?”

Blaine sighed and shook his head. “Yeah, I guess so. I don’t know. The reason she got upset about me dating Kurt is because she’s worried about how our,” he motioned his finger back-and-forth between himself and Kurt, “relationship will affect _her_. She’s so concerned about _potential_ issues she might face and doesn’t care about how either Kurt or I feel about anything. And she can’t even see the hypocrisy in that, considering her relationship with Kurt’s brother. But…” he shrugged, and gave his father a resigned look, “as long as she’s not yelling at me and demanding that I break up with Kurt, then yeah, I guess Rachel and I are okay.”

“Your father and I will talk to her when we get home after dropping you off at your dorm,” Hiram told him. “In the meantime…remember what we talked about last night. I’ll see you when we get home.” He placed a light kiss on the top of Blaine’s head and exited the room, shutting the door behind him.

Blaine muttered, “Oh my god,” as he buried his face in his hands to hide the blush on his cheeks.

Kurt looked over at Blaine with an amused expression. “I can’t tell if you are embarrassed about your dad kissing you in front of me, or if it’s something else. But either way, you look cute when you’re flustered.”

The blush on Blaine’s cheeks intensified and he ducked his head, while smiling brightly at Kurt’s comment. “Thank you, I think? And it wasn’t the kiss. I’m used to my dads’ public displays of affection by now that it no longer fazes me. It was what he said about remembering our conversation from last night.”

“Why? What did you talk about?”

“Sex?” Blaine said, lilting his voice up to make it sound like a question.

“ _Oh_.”

Sensing Kurt’s uneasiness, Blaine rushed to add, “I know you and I haven’t talked about that at all, but I am _so_ not ready for that yet. They just thought that – now that I have a boyfriend – it was a good time for a _refresher_ discussion about respecting boundaries and staying safe. I love that I can talk to them about things like that if I need to, but at the same time, it’s a little awkward and embarrassing. They even gave me some condoms and lube ‘just in case’. And I’m trying really hard not to think about whether they went out and purchased those things for me or if they raided their own supplies.”

Kurt giggled then gave Blaine a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t be laughing but you just seem more bothered by the fact that your parents may have given you condoms that they had intended to use themselves than you are over having to discuss your potential sex life with them. And since I’m not exactly comfortable talking about sex _at all_ …” he shrugged, leaving the rest of that thought unfinished.

“Kurt, I don’t think you understand,” Blaine began, whining playfully, “I _know_ that my dads have a very active sex life. I have heard things coming from my parents’ bedroom that _no_ child should _ever_ have to hear. Trust me, I want no part of that.” He paused and took a deep breath before continuing in a more serious tone, “While I’m not exactly uncomfortable _talking_ about sex, I’m definitely not ready to _have_ it. You are my first boyfriend. We’ve only been together for a _day_. I haven’t even met another boy that I _considered_ possibly dating before I met you. The only guys I ever even crushed on are celebrities that don’t even know I exist – most of whom are straight. If talking about sex makes you uncomfortable, then we don’t have to talk about it yet. But we probably should establish some guidelines or boundaries for our relationship at some point in the near future.”

“I know. Just not right now,” he agreed. In an attempt to change the subject he added, “Your dad mentioned something about ordering lunch…”

Blaine smiled and nodded. “Menus are in the kitchen. Let’s go.”

\---

“How is school now that your bully is gone?” Blaine asked Kurt, as they ate their lunch. “Is it better at all? I keep meaning to ask you, but there’s usually too many people around when I think about it, and I’m not sure what you are comfortable with other people knowing.”

Kurt held up a finger as he chewed and swallowed the bite of pizza in his mouth. “Yeah,” he said, grabbing a napkin and wiping the grease off his face before continuing with his answer. “A lot of the other kids that would follow his lead and bully me around have backed off after he was expelled. I still get called names and get dirty looks sometimes, but I’m no longer being shoved into walls and lockers. I haven’t had a slushie thrown in my face since his expulsion either. I think a lot of them are afraid to touch me because they don’t know the whole story – they don’t know what _really_ happened – so they are afraid that they could suffer the same fate if they try anything. It helps that the football coach also threatened to kick anyone off the team if they even so much as _thought_ about going after me in retaliation for getting Karofsky expelled – and yes, I’m using his name around you now instead of censoring myself like I was before. You’ve heard me say his name to my dad, Finn, and Rachel, so there is no point in censoring it anymore. Plus, I know that you aren’t going to go around telling people what really happened just because you know his name now, so it doesn’t matter. Anyway… my point was that the school is a lot safer now that he’s gone. I’m able to walk down the halls without fear that someone will attack me or something. It’s not _perfect_ , but it’s better.”

“Good. I’m glad. You deserve to be safe,” Blaine replied. “And of course I’m not going to say anything – mostly for your benefit – but I do know what it’s like to be outed, so some of it is for his benefit as well.”

“I’m so sorry that happened to you. I may not have been outed – like you were – but my coming out was inevitable; I never really had a choice in the matter. People would just take one look at me and automatically assume that I was gay. The whole school _‘knew’_ I was gay before I had even come to terms with my own sexuality – before I had ever uttered those words aloud to _anyone_ , myself included. So, in a way, I do understand what it’s like to be outed because I wasn’t in control of who knew and who didn’t… But at the same time, I really don’t; because no one ever perceived me to be anything else.”

“Being outed…it’s difficult and exhausting. It’s also eye-opening. I lost _all_ of my friends – not that I had a lot to start with but…” Blaine trailed off, shrugging. “I had no idea any of them were that homophobic. I mean, I have two dads. They all knew this. How could they appear comfortable around me knowing that I have gay parents but be so openly hostile toward me when they find out that I’m also gay? Nate – the boy that outed me – he’d even slept over here at my house before and never once showed any signs of discomfort or animosity around my dads. So, for all of them – Nate especially – to just turn on me the way they did…I’ll never understand it.

“And from what you’ve told me it seems like all of Karofsky’s friends would turn their backs on him the same way – or worse – than how my friends turned on me,” he added, steering their conversation back to its original topic. “I may not like him very much for what he did to you, but that is not my secret to share. I know I convinced you to tell your dad and the school faculty so he could be punished for his assault, but there is a huge difference between making sure someone is held accountable for their actions and violating someone’s privacy. I would never intentionally do the latter. But hey, at least his dad seems to be accepting of him. Which is good. It helps to have a supportive, understanding parent. I just hope that one day soon, he’ll be able to accept himself – that way no one else has to suffer like you did.”

“Well, Mr. Karofsky did say he was sending Dave to see a psychologist. Hopefully his therapist can help him find that peace and acceptance within himself,” Kurt told him. “And there are rumors going around school that he was enrolled in anger management classes too – but I obviously have no idea how true those are.”

“Whatever the case may be, I hope he gets the help he very clearly needs.”

\---

After lunch the boys went back up to Blaine’s room to finish picking out his outfits for both days of the gallery exhibit. Once rejected outfits were put back into his closet and everything else was packed in a garment bag or Blaine’s duffle bag, they took a seat on Blaine’s bed preparing to watch a movie together.

“If we watch a musical, are you going to sing through the entire thing?” Kurt asked, while browsing Blaine’s movie collection.

Blaine looked over at Kurt and rolled his eyes. “I’m not Rachel. I may love musicals and singing, but I can respect that other people are trying to watch the movie, not listen to me.”

“But what if I wanted you to sing?”

“Well then, that’s a different story. If you want me to sing, I will. Would you sing with me though? You have such a beautiful singing voice; I was completely mesmerized by you at Sectionals,” Blaine told him.

Kurt smiled and nodded at him. “Thank you. Now, could you tell that to Mr. Schue so that he’ll hopefully give me another featured lead at Regionals? Because now that I’ve had a taste of the spotlight, I really don’t want to go back to swaying in the background while Rachel hoards all the attention. And of course I will sing with you if that’s what you want.”

“Well, Rachel is the group’s lead soloist, so it makes sense she’d get the most leads,” Blaine replied.

“No she’s not,” Kurt said, squinting at Blaine. “Lead _soloist_? Did _she_ tell you that? New Directions doesn’t _have_ a lead soloist – we never did. She may be the co-captain of the club, but that has nothing to do with who does or does not get the solos. That’s just a designation that needed to be filled for yearbook purposes, nothing more. I know that Rachel does get a lot of the solos in the group, but that’s just because she throws a fit if she doesn’t. And also because Mr. Schuester likes to play favorites. He just chooses people at random to sing. We don’t have a designated singer or even regular auditions for solo spots.”

“Are you serious? I thought the lead soloist position was an official designation, like it is in the Warblers,” Blaine told him. “My entire Glee Club voted me into the position of lead soloist; I assumed it was the same with New Directions and Rachel.”

“No, it’s not,” he said. “Wait, you’re the lead soloist of the Warblers? Really?”

Blaine nodded. “I am. That’s why I had a solo and a featured lead on another song at Sectionals. As the lead soloist, I’m guaranteed at least one solo spot _and_ a featured lead. I thought it was the same for Rachel – that she had a solo and a duet because of her lead soloist status.”

“Nope. Can I ask a silly question?” Kurt saw Blaine nod at him, so he continued, “If you’re the lead soloist, then why was someone else – Nick, I think you said his name was – singing when I came to spy?”

“Well, if you noticed, Nick also had a solo at Sectionals. He had previously auditioned for it and was awarded the final slot. He’s never had a competition solo before. In fact, Sectionals was only the second time he’s ever had a solo; period. So, that performance you saw was to help him prepare for the competition – get him more comfortable singing lead for an audience. The reason we performed his old solo from Dalton’s Homecoming Concert, was because his Sectionals’ solo wasn’t ready for an audience. We had only been rehearsing it for a week. The Backstreet Boys song that we performed at Sectionals, was the only song that we had pretty much nailed down and ready to perform for an audience since we’d been rehearsing it for almost a month at that point. But Nick didn’t have a lead on that song – just me and Jeff did – so it would’ve been pointless for us to have performed it since the reason we performed that day was to give Nick extra practice.”

“Oh, well that makes sense, I guess. But what about your solo? It wasn’t competition ready at that point?”

“When we first decided to put on that performance, I didn’t even have a song selected. My song had only been approved by the council the day before you came to spy,” Blaine answered. “We barely even had one run-through of it because we spent half of our regular rehearsal time doing a refresher on the song you heard. I had only submitted my song to the council for consideration a few hours after I returned to Dalton that weekend that I came home and met you.

“I actually chose it because of that line about _‘trying to walk away but knowing that the crush isn’t going away’_. Because even though I had just met you, I was already crushing on you so hard. And since Rachel had told me you were straight…I knew I needed to get over that crush quickly. I had no idea just how appropriate the rest of the song lyrics would turn out to be – or that I’d be singing it with you in the audience, watching me. But I’m actually glad you were there to hear me sing it – despite how nervous I was. Having you there, it made the song and my performance feel more genuine – more authentic.”

“ _You_ chose the song? Because of me? It wasn’t a coincidence or anything?” Kurt asked.

“Yeah. When I was writing out the card for the flowers, I almost included something about my song being dedicated to you on it; but then I remembered my sister is incredibly nosy and would want to know who the flowers were from and what the card said, so I didn’t sign it and hoped that you’d infer my meaning from what I did write. I didn’t want her to start any drama right before you had to go on stage.”

“I wanted to believe the song was for me – especially with the way you kept glancing at me; but at the same time, I didn’t want to get my hopes up in case it wasn’t. There was this nagging thought at the back of my head saying that you only wanted me to pay attention so I could give you a detailed performance critique. You sounded incredible by the way. I was on the edge of my seat the whole performance,” he said. “Though, about the card, I’m surprised that Rachel didn’t recognize your handwriting on it. After all, she literally ripped the card out of my hand and read it aloud to everyone in the room when I told Tina that I didn’t know who sent the flowers.”

“She _what_? Seriously? I can’t believe her. I knew she would want to know who sent them, but I figured she’d just pester you with questions. I didn’t realize she’d be _that_ invasive,” Blaine told him. “And she wouldn’t recognize the handwriting because the florist wrote out the actual card; I just filled in a form of what I wanted it to say. Also… I’m really glad you liked the song.”

“Of course I did,” Kurt replied. “But speaking of singing…weren’t we going to watch a musical?”

“Moulin Rouge?”

“Yes please!”


	19. Chapter 19

Not long after the movie ended, Hiram and LeRoy arrived back home. Kurt carried Blaine’s garment bag out to LeRoy’s car, while Blaine carried his duffle bag. Hiram and LeRoy hung back inside the house for a few extra minutes to give the boys some privacy before they drove Blaine back to Dalton.

“You haven’t even left yet, and I already miss you,” Kurt told him, pouting.

“You’re going to see me tomorrow,” Blaine replied, shaking his head while giving Kurt a fond smile. “But I know what you mean. I’m going to miss you too. I’ll call you tonight?”

“You better.” Kurt quickly glanced around, checking that the coast was clear, then leaned forward to kiss Blaine. The kiss was quick but passionate. “See you tomorrow.”

“Absolutely.”

Kurt then gave Blaine a shy wave goodbye as he hurried over to his own car, ready to head home, while Blaine and his parents got in their vehicle and prepared to leave as well.

~*~

“Hey, I thought you were out with Rachel?” Kurt asked his brother, upon seeing him sitting in their living room by himself, watching TV.

“I was earlier. She got mad at me and demanded I take her home because I told her I wasn’t gonna pressure you to break-up with Blaine, so I dropped her off at her house after lunch. I don’t get why she’s so against you dating him. Blaine seems nice, and you seem happy. You guys like each other, right? So, why all the fuss?”

“Because she’s being selfish. She told us that she doesn’t think Blaine and I will last as a couple, and that we’re going to force her to choose sides every time we have an argument. I guess she thinks that we’re not capable of separating our individual relationships with her from our relationship with each other,” Kurt told him.

Finn scrunched his face up in confusion as he squinted at Kurt. “That doesn’t even make sense.”

“Yeah, I know,” he replied. Kurt then got a contemplative look on his face. “Hold on. You said you dropped her back off at her house? I was there the whole time. Neither Blaine nor I saw or heard her come home.”

“I don’t know what to tell you, dude,” Finn said, shrugging. “I dropped her off and waited in the driveway ‘til she went inside before I left, so…”

“It’s not like Rachel to be that quiet,” Kurt mused. “Also, if she was home, then why wouldn’t she want to go out to dinner with her dads and Blaine. Why stay home alone?” He looked over at his brother – who made a humming sound to indicate he didn’t know the answer – then sighed and shook those thoughts away. “I still have homework I need to do. And I need to pick out something to wear for my date with Blaine tomorrow. I’ll let you get back to your show now.” Kurt then crossed the room and headed upstairs to his bedroom.

~*~

When Blaine returned to Dalton after dinner, he was surprised to see Trent in his dorm room. “Hey! I was just about to text you and ask if you could come over,” Blaine told him. “What are you doing in here?”

“It’s my roommate’s turn to host game night. I needed an escape,” Trent replied, sighing, and shaking his head. “What did you want to see me about?”

“Yeah, Blainey,” Jeff chimed in, playfully. “What did you want to see him about? Your weekend at home perhaps? Did something _interesting_ happen?”

“‘Interesting’ is one way to put it,” Blaine replied, smirking.

“Well…?” Jeff prodded, motioning his hands for Blaine to hurry up. “Don’t just stand there. Tell us.”

Blaine took a seat on his bed as he chuckled at his roommate’s impatience. “Okay. First thing that happened is, Kurt and I are officially boyfriends.”

Trent cut him off before he could continue. “Finally! Who asked who? How did it happen? Give us _all_ the details!”

“I asked him… _After_ he kissed me,” Blaine replied. “Once we had gotten back to Lima after Sectionals, the two of us were sitting in my kitchen, talking about how we wanted to approach Rachel about, well, _everything_ , and he says something like, ‘before we talk to Rachel I think I should collect my prize for winning’. So, I handed him the pint of ice cream that I bought for him, and he’s like, ‘not that prize’, then he kissed me. Barely even a second after the kiss ended, I asked him to be my boyfriend because I was feeling so overwhelmed with emotions that I just blurted it out. Thankfully, he said ‘yes’.”

“Of course he said ‘yes’!” Trent exclaimed, exasperated. “Did you really think he’d say ‘no’? Especially after the greeting he gave you in the New Directions’ greenroom after his performance. He literally jumped out of his seat, ran across the room, and gave you a giant bearhug because he was so happy to see you. If that wasn’t an indication that he was looking for more than just friendship, then I don’t know what to tell you.”

Blaine just shrugged at him, unable to come up with a reply for that. Then he took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, before he continued to tell his friends about his weekend. “I guess. But, um, as for the rest of the weekend… A few hours later, we went over to his house because Rachel was there. She got _so_ upset over the fact that Kurt and I are dating. She started treating me like a child, telling me I wasn’t _allowed_ to date Kurt and demanding I go home right away; all while deflecting every question we tried to ask.”

“For real?” Jeff asked. “Did she say why she didn’t want you dating him?”

“Not at first. All she would say was that it was ‘wrong’,” Blaine told him. “We finally managed to get an answer out of her this morning though. Apparently, she’s worried that us being in a relationship will have a negative impact on _her_. She thinks we’re going to fight a lot and force her to choose sides, and she doesn’t want to be stuck in the middle of any disagreements. That’s also why she lied to us. She never thought that we would meet; so when we did, she figured that if each of us thought that the other was straight – and she continued to keep us separated to avoid finding out the truth – then that would reduce the chances of us possibly getting together. I guess she’s been concerned about this for a while. She’s been actively keeping us in the dark about the other’s existence because she was afraid we would like each other more than we like her.”

“That’s…” Trent said, trailing off, searching for a polite way to phrase what he was thinking.

“Crazy?” Blaine supplied.

“Yeah; just a little,” he agreed.

“I know. It’s also hypocritical since she’s dating Kurt’s brother, but…whatever. Dad said that he and Papa would try to talk to her when they get back to Lima tonight. But I’m not going to hold my breath. Instead, I’m going to focus on surviving my date with Kurt tomorrow. It’s my very first date – _ever_ – and I am beyond nervous, but at least I know he’s in the same boat experience-wise.”

“You are in luck! I happen to be an expert in dating,” Jeff replied. “So just sit back, relax, and listen to my wisdom.”

“Oh dear,” Blaine muttered under his breath, then got up and started to unpack his duffle bag as Jeff began to give him dating advice.

~*~

Kurt had just finished helping Carole clear away the dishes from the dinner table when his phone rang. “It’s Blaine,” he told her, looking at the caller ID. “Mind if I take this upstairs?”

“Go right ahead,” she responded. “Thanks for helping clear the table.”

He gave her a quick smile as he accepted the call then rushed out of the room and up the stairs. “Hey, Blaine! Give me a sec to get to my room so we can talk privately.”

“Let me know when you’re ready,” Blaine replied.

“Okay, I’m here,” Kurt told him a moment later, as he shut the door to his bedroom.

“So, who are you hiding from that you need privacy? Please tell me Rachel is not at your house right now.”

Kurt chuckled before answering. “No, she’s probably still at home. I’m not hiding from anyone really; I just don’t want to disturb Finn or my parents while we talk.”

“Finn’s home? And Rachel’s not there? But I thought they were supposed to have dinner together tonight?” Blaine asked.

“Yeah, funny story… When I got home from your house, Finn was already home. Alone,” Kurt began. “He said that Rachel got mad at him for not wanting to pressure me to break-up with you then demanded that he take her home after lunch. So, she apparently came home while we were still there.”

“Really?”

“I know. It doesn’t make any sense. But right now nothing that she says or does makes any sense, so…”

“So, I’m guessing that means you haven’t called her to ask her about it?”

“No. I wanted to see if she would say something to me first, but she hasn’t called me or anything,” Kurt replied.

“Did you want me to call her?”

“No, it’s okay. Unless, if you want to call her, then go ahead; but, really, it’s not that important. I mean, so what if she was home? I just thought it was strange how we didn’t realize it. Or that she elected to stay home alone rather than go with you and your dads out to dinner.”

“Yeah, that is odd. But I guess you’re right,” Blaine agreed. “Besides, it’s not like we were doing anything at my house that we wouldn’t want Rachel to know about. All we did was pick out a few outfits for me to wear to my exhibit then watch a movie. All the… _sensitive_ …conversations _definitely_ took place while she was out of the house; because there is _no way_ that we would have missed seeing her come home if we were downstairs at the time – no matter how quiet she was.”

“I thought the same thing,” Kurt told him. “But enough about Rachel. How was dinner with your dads?”

“It was good,” Blaine said, softly, with an obvious smile in his voice. “However, my dads _did_ tease me relentlessly about letting you help me choose which outfit I would essentially be wearing on our first date…but I still had a really great time with them. It’s dinners like tonight that make me miss being at home and spending time with them. Don’t get me wrong, I love Dalton. I love living in the dorms and having all my friends so close. But I miss my family – even Rachel. Although, living here – having to learn to be more independent and self-sufficient – it has definitely helped to prepare me for moving to New York for college.”

“Well, first,” Kurt began, “I may have helped you select a few outfits to wear to the exhibit, but I don’t know _which_ of those outfits you will be wearing on our date, and which one you’ll be wearing to the awards ceremony; so, all of your dads’ teasing was unfounded. And second, New York is so much further away from Lima than Westerville is. So, wouldn’t that just make you miss your dads more?” he asked. “I mean, Rachel will be in New York with you, so you’ll see her all the time – even when you don’t want to; but your dads will still be here in Lima.”

“I know. But I think I’ll be okay. I mean, after years of living at school – and spending the majority of my recent summers at a sleepaway camp – I’ve gotten used to not seeing them all the time. We’ve all learned how to navigate our relationships with each other from afar. We talk on the phone regularly, we FaceTime, we Skype… I’m prepared for that long-term separation. It’s not like I’m never going to see them again. New York is only 600 miles away. That’s two hours by plane – which is about how long it takes to drive to Westerville. And I think we both know that my dads will happily fly both me and Rachel home whenever we want; and they’ll also come visit us in New York as well.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Kurt agreed.

“Is everything okay? You sound sad.”

“I think talking about you living away from your dads just made me realize how much I’m going to miss my dad and Carole when _I_ move to New York. Finn too…unless he decides to move to New York with us,” he replied. “I know Rachel has been sort of pressuring him to look at schools in the New York area. But with how often they fight and break-up and get back together, who knows if they’ll even still be together at the end of the school year? And I just don’t know if Finn would be comfortable living in such a big city like that.”

“From everything that Rachel’s told me, I thought Finn was already on board with the move to New York.”

“Rachel also told you I was straight.”

“You have a point.”

“Of course I do,” Kurt said.

The two boys continued their conversation – topics varying from subject to subject – for another hour before finally saying goodnight to each other.


	20. Chapter 20

Monday morning, Mercedes and Tina approached Kurt as he stood in front of his locker, gathering his things for his morning classes.

“Hey, Kurt!” Tina said. “My parents are dragging me to some fancy dinner thing this weekend and I need to go shopping for a new outfit to wear. Can you come to the mall with me after school today to help me pick something out?”

“Can we go on Wednesday instead?” Kurt asked her. He looked around quickly then lowered his voice adding, “I have a date with my boyfriend tonight.”

Tina looked at him in shock – momentarily stunned into silence. She quickly composed herself to excitedly ask, “Boyfriend? Since when? Who? Gimme all the details!”

“I thought you and Blaine said you weren’t dating?” Mercedes interjected, giving Kurt a pointed glare.

“Blaine?” Tina asked, confused, while looking back-and-forth between Kurt and Mercedes. “Wait. You mean Rachel’s brother? He’s gay? Your boyfriend is Rachel’s _brother_?”

“Yes, Blaine is my boyfriend and Rachel’s brother,” Kurt told her. “And yes, he’s gay.” Looking at Mercedes he clarified, “I told you we weren’t dating yet because we weren’t. In fact, until Sectionals, I wasn’t even really sure that he _liked_ me like that. But while all of you were at Breadstix celebrating our win, I went over to his house, and he asked me if I’d be his boyfriend. Naturally, I said yes.”

“But how do you even know him?” Tina wondered. “I thought you said you had only met him once or something like that?”

“Yeah; and what was that stuff you told me about things being complicated and needing to talk to Rachel first?” Mercedes added.

Kurt groaned softly at the reminder of Rachel’s actions. He gave the two girls a quick rundown of how he met and grew closer to Blaine; then he told them about the lies Rachel had told each of them and the reasons she gave for telling them.

“After Sectionals was over, Blaine thought Rachel wouldn’t have any objections to us dating since we were no longer competition,” Kurt continued. “That’s why he asked me out before we could talk to her but after the competition was over. But as I just explained, her issues go beyond that.”

“Um, maybe I’m missing something,” Tina began, hesitantly, “but isn’t that a tad hypocritical of her? I mean, she’s dating _your_ brother, so why is it wrong for you to date _hers_?”

Kurt shrugged. “She doesn’t see it that way.”

The bell rang and Mercedes gave Kurt a stern look, holding him in place before he could turn down the hallway. “Tomorrow at lunch, you are giving us all the scoop on your date. I want _details_!”

He smiled and nodded, then the three of them rushed off to their first class.

\---

After school, Kurt hurried home to get ready for his date. Since Blaine had to be at the gallery by 6:00 pm for the exhibit, their dinner reservations were set for 5 o’clock. As soon as Kurt had finished getting ready, he ran down the stairs, calling out a goodbye to his dad.

“Hey, hold up!” Burt yelled, as Kurt reached the front door.

“Dad, I have to go or I’m gonna be late,” Kurt replied.

“Yeah, I know. You got your big date with Blaine,” Burt said, waving away Kurt’s concerns. “But I need to know what time you plan on coming home tonight. It’s a school night after all.”

“The exhibit ends at 9,” Kurt told him. “I’ll leave Westerville as soon as it ends. So, depending on traffic…I should be home a little before 11?”

Burt sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Okay. Fine. I get that he’s got that big exhibit thing that he’s gotta be there for, but don’t expect to make a habit out of staying out that late on a school night, okay? And call me the minute you drop Blaine off, so I know you’re on your way back home.”

“Got it! Bye Dad!” Kurt then raced out the door to his car.

\---

Once Kurt had pulled into the visitor’s parking lot, he sent a text to Blaine to let him know that he’d arrived and was waiting outside. A few moments later, Blaine exited the dorm and crossed the lot to where he could see Kurt standing next to his car. Blaine rushed over to him, gave him a quick peck on the lips, then swept him into a tight hug.

As soon as Blaine had kissed him, a loud voice was heard cooing behind him. “Aww! My little Blainers is all grown up!”

Pulling away from the hug, Blaine turned around and glared at the source of the voice. “Go back inside, Jeffrey!” he shouted at his roommate.

“But I can’t take video of you going on your very first date from inside the dorm,” Jeff argued, motioning to his phone that was aimed at them.

“Oh my god. Jeff! Go!” Blaine cried out, pointing at the dorm before hiding his face in his hands.

“What?! What did I do?” Blaine glared at him again, causing Jeff to relent. “Fine. Be that way. But you’ll thank me for this someday!” Jeff said, before stopping the recording and turning back toward the building.

“I’m really sorry about him,” Blaine told Kurt, softly.

Kurt giggled at how flustered Blaine was. “Don’t worry about it. I’m sure he was just trying to be supportive in his own weird way. But we should probably get going if we’re going to make our reservation.”

“Right. Of course. Let’s get going then. Oh, and by the way, I didn’t get a chance to tell you yet, but you look _amazing_. I hope I’m not being too forward by saying this, but those pants are…” Blaine paused and gave Kurt a once-over, letting out a low whistle, “they look good on you.”

“Thank you,” Kurt replied, blushing. “I rather like your outfit as well. You look very dapper.”

“Well, my very fashion-savvy boyfriend helped me pull this whole outfit together, so he should get some credit for that.”

“Your boyfriend has good taste,” he said, as he started up the car and began to exit the parking lot.

\---

When they arrived at the restaurant, Blaine held the door open for Kurt, then gave his name to the hostess, who quickly showed them to their table. The two boys made small talk until the waitress arrived to take their orders. Once she had left, Blaine brought up Rachel.

“Not that I want to discuss my sister on our date, but considering the circumstances, I feel obligated to ask… Did she mention anything to you about her coming home early yesterday? Or say anything to you at school at all?”

“Oddly enough, no,” Kurt began. “In fact, she didn’t say a single word to me all day – she was giving me the silent treatment. She even avoided answering any questions that Mercedes and Tina had asked her about us after I told them that we were dating. She talked to everyone else about _anything_ else, but she avoided the topic of you and me – together and individually.”

“That _is_ weird,” he agreed.

“What’s even weirder is that she was giving me strange looks all day too,” Kurt continued. “It was like a cross between a menacing glare and a look of bewilderment – like she was trying to put a puzzle together and kept getting frustrated when she couldn’t figure it out. If she keeps this up, Glee Club tomorrow is going to be very interesting.”

Blaine sighed and shook his head. “I am so sorry about her.”

“Don’t be. It’s not your fault. You don’t have to apologize for her actions. But enough about Rachel…” Kurt said, changing the topic of their conversation. “Tell me about Dalton’s Winter Break. It’s coming up soon right? Is it the same as McKinley’s? Do you have any plans yet? Or any ideas of what you might be doing?”

“Thanksgiving Break is actually coming up a lot sooner – like, this week,” Blaine replied, smirking.

“Oh my god, you’re right. Thanksgiving Break is only a couple of days, so I totally forgot about it! But Thanksgiving is this Thursday. Are you coming home to Lima for that?”

“I am. I have a half day of classes on Wednesday, then I don’t have classes again until Monday. I’ll be home all weekend long.”

“McKinley has a full day of classes on Wednesday, but we are free for the rest of the week after that. So, maybe we can hang out while you’re home? Go out to a movie or something?” Kurt hesitated before asking, “Maybe…maybe you could even meet some of my friends if you wanted?”

“I’d really like that. All of it. The hanging out, the movie, meeting your friends…everything. It sounds like fun.”

“Great! I’ll start planning as soon as I get home. But what about my original question? About Winter Break?” Kurt asked.

“Dalton’s Winter Break is actually longer than McKinley’s. It starts…I want to say three days before McKinley’s? Or maybe it’s two? But I _know_ that we don’t go back to school until a full week after you guys do,” Blaine answered. “And unless my dads decide to make other plans and arrangements, right now I will be at home, in Lima, for the entire break. Although, my friends and I are all planning on meeting up to hang out at each other’s houses every now-and-then. But for the most part, I’ll be in Lima, spending time with my family…and hopefully going on more dates with my boyfriend? And maybe he could occasionally join me when I meet up to hang out with my friends too? If he wants?”

“Looks like we have the same plans – spending time with family, friends, and each other. Dates with the boyfriend are a definite _must_. And I think I’d like hanging out with your friends too – getting to know them better.”

“That’s what I was hoping you’d say. And since we are on the subject of Winter Break…” Blaine began, “I assume your family celebrates Christmas; so, how do you want to go about gift exchanges? Or do you want to do gift exchanges?”

“I like the idea of exchanging gifts with you,” Kurt replied. “But what do you mean by ‘how do I want to go about it’?”

“Like, do you want to set a price limit? Or put any restrictions on _types_ of gifts? Do you want us to open our gifts as soon as we exchange them or wait until Christmas Day? Stuff like that, you know?” Blaine clarified. “What do you and your friends usually do?”

“My friends and I don’t usually exchange Christmas gifts. Maybe we’ll dedicate a song during Glee Club or something but that’s about it,” Kurt told him. “There’s just too many people to buy stuff for otherwise. I only get gifts for Finn because he’s my brother. And Rachel too; but hers is a _birthday_ gift, not a Christmas or Hanukkah gift – not that I’ve ever understood why your family celebrates both holidays.”

Blaine chuckled before responding. “That would be because of me.” At Kurt’s questioning glance, he continued, “I’m not Jewish. I thought you knew that. I told you that my mom’s father was Jewish, but her mother was Christian. Her parents brought her up in a household where both religions were celebrated. She was never forced to choose a side or adopt one particular religion as her own. And when my parents had me, they did the same thing – since my pop was also Christian. I celebrated some Jewish holidays and some Christian ones – but nothing was ever deeply tied to our faith. And because of how close my mom and Hiram were, my family would often spend a lot of Jewish holidays with the Berrys, and they would come over and spend Christian holidays – like Christmas and Easter – with us. For us, most holidays were treated more like excuses to spend time with family than anything else. And when I was adopted, my dads kept those traditions going. They didn’t want to strip me of my pseudo-Christian background and force their religion on me; they wanted to continue to raise me how my mom and pop did – give me the freedom to decide my own faith. So, despite being Jewish herself, Rachel has been celebrating Christmas ever since she was born.”

“That makes a lot of sense,” he muttered under his breath. “Why didn’t Rachel just tell me that? No, wait. Don’t answer that. I know why she never gave me a straight answer. It’s because she was trying to avoid telling anyone – especially me – more about you. But anyway…back to your original question about gifts. I guess having a spending limit is a good idea. But other than that, I don’t really know.”

“We still have time to figure all of that out.”

\---

“I know you’ve told me a little bit about the photos in your exhibit, and the basics of the contest, but do you have any idea of what to expect while we are at the gallery?” Kurt asked.

“Not exactly. What I do know, is that the gallery has dedicated an entire room to this photo contest, so all of the finalists’ exhibits will be together. There will be judges walking around, asking questions, and taking notes…but other than that, I’m not really sure on anything.”

“So, are you going to have to stand next to your photo display all night long?”

“No. Our names and pictures will be next to our displays, and all of the judges and finalists will have name tags, so we can feel free to walk around the room, talk to other people, and look at all the other exhibits; but we really shouldn’t leave the room unless we need to use the restroom or something,” Blaine answered.

“Okay. At least you won’t be stuck in one spot all night,” Kurt replied. “And you said that the awards ceremony is tomorrow night, right?”

“Yeah,” he confirmed. “The judges are actually supposed to make their final decisions tonight after the exhibit ends. Then the winner will be announced during the awards ceremony tomorrow night sometime before the exhibit closes at 9:00. I actually had heard that the judges were going to arrive at the gallery at, like, 10 am this morning or something and stay there all day today. That way they could see the reactions of – and talk to – gallery patrons before the finalists arrive.”

“You know, I’m curious… What made you want to enter this contest in the first place?” Kurt asked.

Blaine smiled softly as he thought about his answer. “Photography was a hobby that I shared with my pop. He bought me my first camera when I was three years old – taught me everything he knew about cameras and photography. We used to take pictures of my mom as she painted, then we’d go down to the corner store to get the film developed. When we got the photos back, we would go through all the pictures with my mom and put the best ones into a scrapbook with little captions and stories. I have three years’ worth of those scrapbooks sitting in a box in my dads’ attic.

“After losing my parents… I continued taking pictures because I wanted to document everything and everyone – to have _tangible_ reminders of the people in my life and the things that they did – because I never knew when they might just disappear. Photography is something I’ve been passionate about my entire life. So, when I was told about this contest, it just seemed like the perfect excuse to be able to take even _more_ photos of the people and things that I care so much about,” Blaine told him. He then smirked at Kurt and added, “And of course the scholarship prize money was a nice incentive as well.”

“Do…” Kurt began, hesitantly, “do you have a lot of memories of your biological parents?”

“Not really. I was so young when they died. Most of the stuff that I _‘remember’_ ,” he emphasized using finger quotes, “are things that I’ve seen in photos and home videos, or stories that Hiram and LeRoy have told me. Sometimes I can’t distinguish between actual memories and things that I was told about or saw in a photograph or video.”

Kurt nodded, sadly. “Yeah. I know what that’s like. It can be frustrating looking at pictures or watching videos and have no memory of what’s going on. Or to have a hazy memory of something and later find out you weren’t there – it was just a story you had heard a lot growing up. Sometimes I feel like I’m forgetting things about my mom that I should know – that there are things about her that everyone else remembers except me. But I had so little time with her to begin with – I was only 8 when she died – so maybe I never even knew these things in the first place? It feels a little surreal to talk to someone that can actually understand how that feels – someone that has lived through a similar experience; most people don’t understand how disconcerting it can be.”

Blaine reached across the table and took hold of Kurt’s hand in his. He squeezed Kurt’s hand gently while giving him a sympathetic smile before slowly retrieving his hand and continuing to eat.


	21. Chapter 21

Kurt parked the car in the lot outside of the gallery and shut off the engine. As he was unclasping his seatbelt, Kurt looked over at Blaine, who was anxiously staring out of the window at the building in front of them.

“You okay?” he asked, softly.

Blaine startled at the sound of Kurt’s voice before turning toward him to give him a warm smile. “Yeah, sorry. I guess I’m just a little nervous. There are a lot of cars in this parking lot. I didn’t realize there would be this many people here. I have never had my photos in a competition this big before. This is probably the largest audience that has ever even _looked_ at my photography, let alone judged it. What if they don’t like my exhibit?”

“Impossible.”

“You don’t know that, Kurt,” Blaine said, cutting him off before he could say anything else. “You’ve never even seen any of the photos I’ve taken – and that selfie I took of us with my phone at your house doesn’t count.”

“I may not have seen any of your photos before, but I don’t need to have seen them to know they are good. This competition had over 200 entries and you made the top _10_ ,” Kurt reminded him. “That alone tells me just how talented you are. Besides, when you talk about your photography, you express the same amount of passion that you do when you talk about performing; and you are an _amazing_ performer. That leads me to believe that you are an _equally_ amazing photographer. Those judges – and all the other people in there – are going to _love_ your photos. And if they don’t…well, I can always give them a verbal smackdown if you’d like. Not to brag, but I am known for my devastating insults and snarky commentary.”

Blaine chuckled then gave Kurt a grateful smile. “Thank you. I think I’ll take a raincheck on those insults for now though, but I’ll keep you posted if things change. And, um, one other thing…before we go inside, can I ask for a teeny-tiny favor?” Kurt nodded at him, so Blaine continued, “Can I get a kiss for good luck?”

“You,” Kurt began, smirking at him, “can have as many good luck kisses as you want.”

Blaine glanced out of the car windows, scanning the parking lot, then leaned in to give Kurt a quick, soft kiss on the lips. When he pulled back from the kiss, he smiled adoringly at Kurt. “I’m feeling better already. Come on. Let’s get inside before I’m late.”

\---

After checking in, the two boys located the room where all the student photography exhibits were displayed. “Oh, wow,” Blaine muttered to Kurt, quietly. “Look at these other exhibits. They’re incredible! How am I supposed to compete with them?”

Kurt raised an eyebrow at him. “Didn’t we just go over this in the car? You wouldn’t have been chosen as a finalist if your photos weren’t as good – _or better_ – than the others that are on display here. Not only that, but you have an advantage in this competition that none of these other finalists have.”

“I do? What’s that?”

“You received a good luck kiss from me,” Kurt replied.

“I would certainly hope that none of the other finalists received one, otherwise I might have to rethink this whole relationship,” Blaine said in a teasing manner. He paused for a few seconds then looked at Kurt with a more serious expression before adding, “But having you here in my corner – believing in me – it helps a lot.”

“Exactly,” he agreed. “So quit panicking and show me which of these displays is yours.”

Blaine let out a soft chuckle while rolling his eyes and smiling at Kurt before pointing to a wall on his left. “It’s this one, right over here.”

\---

“Oh, Bee, these photos are gorgeous!” Kurt said, staring at the display in wonder. “These are the ones you took with a film camera, right? Where are the digital ones? I thought you told me earlier that your exhibit included photos taken with both types of cameras?”

“Actually, these ones,” he began, pointing at the photos around the outer edges of the display, “are all the digital prints. The rest of them,” Blaine continued, motioning to the middle section, “were taken with a film camera. I developed them myself in the darkroom at school.”

“Seriously? These are digital prints?” Kurt said, in awe. “They look _so_ good. I’ve never been able to get any of my digital photos to look this good when I print them at home.”

“To get professional quality photos, you need the right equipment; and a standard inkjet printer isn’t going to cut it,” Blaine told him. “Dalton’s photo lab has an HD photo printer, so I used that to print these out.”

Behind them a familiar voice added, “Do yourself a favor, don’t ask any follow-up questions; he’ll give you a three-hour monologue on the technical aspects of photography.”

Kurt and Blaine turned around to see Trent, Jeff, and Jeff’s girlfriend, Lisa, standing behind them. Lisa gave Jeff a gentle swat on his arm for his comment. “Jeff! Don’t be rude.”

“It’s not rude if it’s true,” Jeff mumbled under his breath.

Lisa shook her head then turned to look at Kurt. “I’m sorry about him. I’m Lisa by the way. Jeff’s girlfriend. You must be Kurt. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“You have?” Kurt asked, sounding confused.

“I was just about to say the same thing,” Blaine said, giving Jeff a quizzical look.

“What?” Jeff replied, defensively. “You can’t tell me that the drama of your forbidden friendship, secret crush, and all of those private – highly personal – conversations you had with our Sectionals competitor is something I should just keep to myself. It’s one of the most interesting things to happen in our little circle of friends in a long, long time. Especially when you add in your sister’s reaction once you started dating him. That is _prime_ gossip. Of course I’m gonna tell Lisa about it; well, except for the details of those personal conversations since I’m not privy to that information. Besides, it’s partly your own fault. I mean, it’s not like you’ve talked about anything _except_ Kurt for the past _month_.”

Blaine blushed and ducked his head. In a faint voice, he added, “I’ve talked about other things too.”

“Not really,” Trent said, looking at Blaine apologetically. “But it’s okay. We get it.”

“Since when do you take his side?” Blaine asked him. “You’re supposed to be my best friend. You should be backing me up on this, not agreeing with Jeff.”

Trent responded by putting his hands up in a defensive position and said, “Sorry.”

Kurt giggled at the boys’ interaction. “It’s okay, Bee,” he said, rubbing Blaine’s arm gently. “If I hadn’t been so worried about Rachel finding out that I was talking to you, I’m sure my friends would think that I talked about you too much too.”

“Please don’t encourage them,” Blaine pleaded, softly.

“Let the boy speak,” Jeff admonished Blaine. “And speaking of ‘letting Kurt speak’…since he wasn’t able to talk to his friends about you before, he can talk to us now – get all that bottled-up talking about you off of his chest.”

Blaine looked at Jeff suspiciously. “What are you guys up to?”

“We just want to have a conversation with him,” Jeff replied. “No need to act worried or suspicious. This isn’t like last time we asked to speak to him, and you insisted on being present for the conversation because you were afraid that we might tell him about your crush on him. You guys are dating now, he already knows you like him.”

Kurt suppressed a smirk then looked over at Blaine and shrugged. “They can’t be worse than Rachel.”

“I think you’re giving my friends too much credit.”

“Hey! Not cool,” Trent said, offended.

“Yeah, Blainey; not cool,” Jeff agreed. “Look, why don’t you go talk to that nice man with the judge’s badge about your pretty pictures, and we’ll just go over there and talk to Kurt; okay?”

Blaine looked back-and-forth at each of their faces before sighing helplessly. “Behave yourselves,” he warned Jeff and Trent.

“Don’t worry, Blaine. I’ll keep them in line,” Lisa reassured him.

“I’ll come rescue you as soon as I can,” Blaine told Kurt. He patted Kurt on the arm then turned to talk to the judge that was examining his exhibit.

\---

“Okay, I know you boys don’t really want to hear me ramble about Blaine, especially since you’ve known him longer than I have; so, what is this really about?” Kurt asked, once they had reached a quiet corner on the other side of the room.

“Blaine is one of my best friends. I love him like a brother. He really, really likes you. I don’t want to see him get hurt.” Jeff said.

“And you think I’m going to hurt him?”

“No; not really,” Jeff replied, shaking his head while shrugging.

“From everything that Blaine has told us about you – plus the brief few moments we’ve talked to you – you seem like a good person,” Trent added. “But we still worry about Blaine. He hasn’t always had an easy life. I guess we just want to make sure that his sister’s opposition to you dating him really is as irrational and unfounded as he says it is – that it’s not rooted in something more substantial.”

Kurt nodded along with everything Trent was saying. “Look, Rachel is my best friend, and I love her to death; but she has _always_ put herself above every _one_ and every _thing_ else. A lot of the fights that she and my brother get into – and trust me, there are a lot of them – are because of ineffective communication or a lack of willingness to compromise – on _both_ their parts. She thinks it’s normal. It’s not. She’s worried that Blaine and I will argue and fight as much as she and Finn do, and that she’s going to get stuck in the middle of it all. Rachel is afraid that her relationship with each of us is in danger because she thinks we’re going to force her to choose sides. That’s her whole reason for being opposed to me and Blaine dating. It has _nothing_ to do with either of us, and absolutely _everything_ to do with her.

“Also, just so you know, Blaine’s not the only one who hasn’t always had an easy life. My mother died when I was eight. It was just my father and me for a really long time afterward. I had to grow up real fast – take on responsibilities that no child should have to worry about. And all those personal conversations between Blaine and I recently, most of them had to deal with the fact that a bully at school took things too far, and I was forced to get a restraining order on him in order to protect myself. So trust me when I say that I can relate to a lot of the bad things that Blaine has gone through in his life; and I’m not about to add our relationship to that list – for both our sakes.

“That being said, I am only human. I make mistakes just like everyone else; especially since I have been known to occasionally react to things emotionally instead of rationally. So, while I can’t promise that I won’t accidentally hurt Blaine, I can promise that I won’t intentionally hurt him. And unfortunately, that’s the best assurance I can give you on that.”

“Wow…” Trent replied, stunned.

“A restraining order?!” Jeff asked, uncertain. “Like, a _real_ restraining order? Or, like, a school-imposed rule where he has to stay away from you while on campus, type of restraining order?”

“A real one; issued by a judge in a court of law,” Kurt answered. “The bully was expelled from school the day I applied for it.”

“I’m almost afraid to ask what he did in order for something like that to be issued,” Jeff replied.

“He threatened to kill me…amongst other things.”

“Kurt…” Trent said, still in shock. “I am so sorry that happened to you.”

“I appreciate that. But my point was, you don’t have to worry about Blaine. I have no intention of hurting him; I wouldn’t have agreed to be his boyfriend if I did.”

“Why did you agree to be his boyfriend?” Jeff asked, looking at Kurt curiously.

“Is that a serious question?” When Jeff hesitated before nodding slightly, Kurt sighed and rolled his eyes. “Because I like him; that’s why. He’s smart, thoughtful, considerate, passionate. He listens to me when I talk – doesn’t try to talk over me or shut me down. He respects me. We have a lot in common; he loves music, art, and fashion as much as I do. Plus, he’s incredibly talented; and really, _really_ cute. I probably could go on and on telling you all the things I like about him, but I won’t because just saying ‘I like him’ should be enough.”

“That’s a good enough reason for me,” Trent told him.

“Yeah, same,” Jeff agreed.

“There is something I’ve been a little curious about though, if you don’t mind me asking,” Trent continued. “Before you came to Dalton to spy on the Warblers, you had only talked to Blaine what once? Twice? But ever since you saw him that day you’ve been having a lot of deep, personal conversations with him. I’m just trying to wrap my head around how he went from a virtual stranger to a trusted confidant in the span of a few hours, if that.”

Kurt paused and contemplated the question for a moment before answering. “I have known Blaine’s sister and his dads for years, so even though I barely knew _him_ , I knew where he came from – I knew the type of environment he grew up in. That made me more comfortable opening up to him than it would if he was an _actual_ stranger.

“That day that I attempted to spy… Before I arrived at Dalton, I had been having a really, _really_ bad day – actually, more like a bad week. I was _so_ close to breaking; and getting caught spying didn’t help matters. When Blaine caught up to me after I ran out of the room, he could see the distress on my face, and offered to sit and talk with me – make sure I was okay. He seemed genuine – like he really did just want to help. And I know that he has two gay dads, so I figured that he wasn’t homophobic, and therefore, he was a safe person to talk to. I didn’t go into details about anything – just told him I was having some difficulty with homophobic bullies. He told me he could relate – that he’d had his own fair share of homophobic bullies to deal with. Then he told me that if I ever needed or wanted someone to talk to, that I should call him; because he’d been where I was, and he was willing to lend an ear.

“None of my friends understand what it’s like being the only out gay boy in the entire school. They don’t understand the things that I dealt with on a daily basis. They would get teased and bullied for being in Glee Club, or because they are unpopular…and they think that the bullying that I experienced for my sexuality was basically the same thing, but it’s not. The bullying I faced was _very_ different and so much worse.

“I wasn’t planning on calling Blaine so soon or spilling my guts to him about all my problems. I thought I might use his number to text him several days later – maybe complain to him about his sister or something silly like that. But once I was back in Lima, after I had left Dalton earlier that day, I ran into one of my bullies. That interaction was… I have no words. But it caused me to finally reach my breaking point. I was scared, and I needed someone to talk to. Blaine was the only person I could think of that might take anything I say seriously. I love my friends, but they don’t _get_ it. Not only that, but the bully that was harassing me was on the football team with most of my male friends, so they would often err on the side of caution when it came to him. They didn’t want to stir up any trouble for the team. But Blaine held no such biases. And as a gay person who has experienced many types of harassment at the hands of homophobic bullies, he knew how serious my problems were.

“Once I’d opened up and told him what was going on…I don’t know… It was like something shifted. He was no longer ‘Rachel’s brother’; he was my _friend_. I continued talking with him after that day, not only to keep him updated on the situation with the bully, but also just to talk about life in general. I wanted to know more about him. I wanted him to know more about me. I already was crushing on him after he listened to me vent about all my problems, and not only did he not judge me, but he didn’t brush me off as being overdramatic or whiny like some of my other friends did; however, the more I got to know him, the more I _trusted_ him – the more I liked him. From my perspective, I wasn’t blindly trusting a virtual stranger; I was trusting a proven ally and a friend – a friend that I had hoped might become more.” Kurt stopped talking, gave a small shrug, and subtly shook his head to indicate he didn’t know what else to add.

“Then I guess there’s only one thing left to say…” Jeff began, slowly, pausing for dramatic flair.

“What’s that?” Kurt asked, apprehensively.

Jeff and Trent exchanged a look, nodded, and smiled at each other. They both turned their attention to Kurt and in perfect synchronicity, they said, “Welcome to the family!”

Kurt had a look of bewilderment on his face as he glanced back-and-forth between the two boys. “Huh?”

“Like Jeff said earlier,” Trent began, “Blaine is our brother. We just want what’s best for him. And I swear we don’t mean any offense to you when we say this, but Blaine isn’t always the best judge of character. He likes to look for the good in everyone – give people the benefit of the doubt. Sometimes that means that he overlooks flaws that he shouldn’t. And it’s not that we thought you were a bad person, or that you might have some sort of malicious agenda or anything; because we didn’t. You seemed like a genuinely good guy. But most of our knowledge of you came directly from Blaine. So, we just had to make sure that his feelings for you weren’t impairing his judgment of you. And I know that we had that brief conversation on the phone that one time, and we saw each other at Sectionals for about a minute, so we did have _some_ firsthand knowledge of you. But Blaine was there each time. I guess we just were curious if we’d reach the same conclusion if he was removed from the equation – that you weren’t just turning on the charm for his benefit, you know? And now that you guys are officially dating, and we know _for sure_ you aren’t just messing with him for whatever reason – again, not that we thought you were in the first place – that means you’re now our family too.”

Kurt nodded at them. “He’s lucky to have friends like you.”

~*~

At the end of the exhibit, Kurt drove Blaine back to Dalton. Before Blaine went back into the dorms, the two boys sat in Kurt’s car talking for a few minutes. “So, now that there is no one around to interrupt us…” Blaine began. “What did my friends want to talk to you about earlier? When they pulled you away while I was talking to the judges? I’m assuming it wasn’t anything bad since you still appeared friendly toward them afterward, but I can never be sure with those two.”

Kurt gave Blaine a reassuring smile. “They didn’t do anything wrong. They were just being good friends – looking out for you – wanting to make sure I wasn’t going to hurt you.” He saw the look of horror on Blaine’s face and hurried to add, “There were no threats of any kind. It was a very civil conversation. They even told me I was now a part of the family, so I take it that means they like me.”

“And you’re sure they didn’t say or do anything to make you uncomfortable?”

“I’m sure.”

“Okay,” Blaine replied. “As long as you’re sure. Well, I really need to get inside; and you need to hit the road and head home to make your curfew on time. I had a really great time tonight. I’ll see you tomorrow? And we can maybe plan our next date? Perhaps this weekend while I’m home?”

“We are definitely going out again this weekend. I’ve already got a few ideas in mind. I’ll see you tomorrow. Goodnight, Blaine. Sweet dreams.”

Blaine placed a hand on Kurt’s cheek then leaned in to kiss him goodnight. The kiss started slow and sweet but quickly turned frantic and passionate. The boys spent several minutes making out until the sound of Kurt’s phone ringing finally broke them apart.

Kurt scrambled around to answer his phone while Blaine tried to catch his breath as he stared adoringly at Kurt. “Hello? … Hey! Dad! … Yeah, we just got to Dalton a few seconds ago. I was just saying goodnight to Blaine when you called. … Yeah, I’ll be on my way in just a few seconds. I just want to make sure he gets inside his dorm building safely first. … Yeah, okay. See you soon.” He hung up the phone and turned his attention to Blaine. “I need to go.”

“Yeah, I know. Me too. Goodnight. Text me when you get home, so I know you made it there safely.” Blaine gave Kurt another quick kiss before exiting the car and jogging across the parking lot into his dorm.


	22. Chapter 22

As soon as Kurt placed his lunch tray down on the table, Mercedes gave him an expectant look. “Okay, spill,” she began. “How was the date last night? Spare no details.”

Kurt blushed and ducked his head to hide the giant smile on his face. “It was really nice.” He paused trying to figure out how he wanted to word what he was going to say.

Before he could speak again, Mercedes let out an exasperated sigh. “I said _‘details’_.”

“I was getting there!” Kurt rolled his eyes before muttering under his breath, “So impatient…” He took a deep breath then told her all about his dinner date with Blaine, and about going to the art gallery afterward for his photography exhibit. “The two friends he was with when you met him at Sectionals, Trent and Jeff, they showed up to the exhibit to support him too; so I had people to talk to and hang out with whenever Blaine was busy talking to one of the judges or a gallery patron. His friends are really great, super friendly, and so fun to hang out with. You’d definitely get along with them. There is an awards ceremony for the contest tonight, so after Glee, Carole and I are going to drive down to Westerville to cheer him on. Rachel and both of her dads are going to be there too, but since she _still_ isn’t talking to me…” Kurt sighed and shrugged, “I don’t know.”

“I don’t understand what the big deal is,” Mercedes replied. “It’s not like you’re her mortal enemy or anything like that. You’re her best friend. She should be happy that her brother is dating someone that can actually tolerate all her crazy, and not someone that’s gonna go running for the hills whenever she’s around.”

“Mercedes, you should have seen Rachel whenever I got a call or text from Blaine – before I was dating him…before she knew that it was him that I was talking to. She was so _happy_ that I finally had met another gay guy like myself – someone that could actually return my feelings. Seeing the smile on my face every time my phone lit up with his name – knowing that there was a _real_ possibility of there being a guy that might actually be romantically interested in me – she was ecstatic and so excited. She was constantly teasing me – in a playful sort of way – about having a secret boyfriend – wanting to hear all the juicy gossip. And when I told her the flowers that I got at Sectionals were from the guy I’d been talking to, she had the _biggest_ smile on her face. But as soon as she found out that the person on the other end of the phone was _Blaine_ …she suddenly _hated_ the idea of me dating him. And it’s not like she’s trying to protect me from him – or trying to protect him from me – the two of them are really close and get along really well, and Rachel and I are really close too; so it doesn’t make any sense. She’s just being selfish – trying to protect _herself_ from being put in the middle of non-existent arguments.”

“Well, if she doesn’t get her act together fast, she’s gonna lose _both_ of you. I mean, how long does she think she can keep up the angry silent treatment without damaging her relationship with either of you guys? Seriously… That girl needs to pull her head out of her butt and look at the problems that _she_ is causing.”

“At least I still have you,” Kurt said, putting his head on Mercedes’s shoulder.

Mercedes rested her head on top of his and patted Kurt’s cheek with her hand. “Boo, you will _always_ have me.”

\---

Kurt was sitting in the choir room before rehearsal, telling Tina and Mercedes more about his date with Blaine, when Rachel walked into the room. She stopped and stared at him, a look of bewilderment on her face. For a split second, it looked as though she was going to say something to him before changing her mind and going to sit on the other side of the room. Kurt sighed, shook his head, then continued telling his story to the girls.

After a moment of eavesdropping on their conversation, Rachel turned to look at them again and said, “Wait. Hold on. You went out with _Blaine_ last night? But he was supposed to be at the art gallery for his exhibit thing. That exhibit was _so_ important to him. I can’t believe he would ditch that just to go out with you instead.”

“He didn’t,” Kurt began, exasperatedly. “We had an early dinner together at a restaurant around the corner from the gallery _before_ he was required to be there; then we went over to the gallery after we ate. We spent the remainder of our date _at the gallery_. He showed me his photos, talked about them with me, the judges, and other patrons; we walked around and looked at the other displays and exhibits…and when it was over, I drove him back to Dalton and came home. Just because he was ‘working’, doesn’t mean we weren’t allowed to spend time together. I know how important that exhibit is to him; I would never ask him to ditch it to spend time with me. I’m not that selfish. Blaine is my boyfriend. I want to support him, not hurt him. That’s why I’m going back to the art gallery again tonight for the award ceremony; so I can be there for him.”

“Oh,” Rachel replied, sheepishly, then looked away.

Mr. Schue then entered the room to begin rehearsal, so everyone wrapped up their conversations and focused on the lesson of the day.

\---

Once Glee ended, Kurt rushed home to get ready for the award ceremony. He quickly changed into the outfit he had picked out this morning, then fixed his hair, and hurried back downstairs to meet with Carole.

“Ready to go?” Carole asked him as he entered the living room.

“Yup! All set!” he confirmed. “Let’s go.”

“We need to wait for your father first. He just went upstairs to get his wallet,” she replied.

“Dad’s coming too?” Kurt asked.

Finn looked over at them and asked, “Wait. Are all of you going to that thing for Rachel’s brother? Do I have to go too?”

“You are welcome to come with us if you want,” Carole told him. “But I didn’t think you’d enjoy walking around an art gallery for 2-and-a-half hours; and you’re old enough to be left on your own for a few hours. Just make sure to finish your homework before you spend all night playing video games.”

“Yeah, I think I’ll stay home. Spending hours at an art gallery sounds _boring_ ,” Finn replied, then he hurried to look at Kurt and added, “No offense, dude. And I don’t think Rachel wants me there anyway. She hasn’t mentioned anything to me about it at all. I only know she’s going to it tonight ‘cause you told me.” He then looked back at his mother and asked, “But what about dinner?”

“We’re going to stop for some takeout on our way there; and I left you some money on the kitchen table to order a pizza later,” Carole answered as Burt walked into the room and announced he was ready to go.

“I didn’t realize you were coming with us,” Kurt said to his father. “I know art galleries aren’t really your scene.”

“No, but Blaine is important to you. I want to get to know him a little better and support him if I can,” Burt replied. “If that means I gotta put on a nice shirt and walk around looking at a bunch of pictures all night…then that’s what I gotta do.”

“Thanks, Dad. I appreciate that.”

\---

“Oh, look, there are Rachel and Blaine,” Carole told Kurt upon walking into the room at the gallery where the photography exhibits were displayed.

“Well, at least they appear to be getting along for right now,” he replied. “Let’s hope my arrival doesn’t change that.”

“I don’t think Rachel would cause a scene like that while in such a refined, _public_ environment,” Carole chided.

“Then you don’t know Rachel all that well,” he mumbled under his breath, while forcing a fake smile on his face.

As they approached the siblings, Rachel glanced over at them with a look of shock on her face. Blaine turned to see what she was looking at, and his face broke out into a huge grin.

“Carole. Burt,” Rachel began, hesitantly. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here tonight.”

While Rachel was speaking, Blaine gave Kurt a quick hug. “I’m so happy to see you right now,” he whispered, lips pressed against Kurt’s ear. He pulled back from the hug and looked Kurt in the eye. “Thank you for coming tonight.” Looking up at Burt and Carole, Blaine hurried to add, “All of you.”

“It’s our pleasure,” Carole responded. “We have heard all about how important this exhibit is to you, and we wanted to come show our support.”

“Is Finn here too?” Rachel asked, looking around the room.

“No. He’s at home,” Kurt replied, exasperatedly, arching his eyebrow at her. “Art galleries aren’t really his thing, you know? He was afraid of dying of boredom. Also, he thought you might not want him here since you failed to mention anything about the exhibit to him, and he didn’t want to incur your wrath by showing up unannounced.” Turning toward Blaine, Kurt’s demeanor softened, and his entire body relaxed; he put on a bright smile then added, “But he wanted me to tell you that he says ‘hi and good luck’.”

Rachel’s face showed signs of shock, but before she could speak, Blaine replied to Finn’s message. “I appreciate that. Make sure to thank him for me,” he told Kurt.

Burt took the opportunity to change the subject to derail any further problems. “So, which one of these setups belongs to you?” Burt asked Blaine, while motioning around the room at the various exhibits that were displayed.

“Oh! It’s this one right over here,” he said, leading them over to his exhibit.

\---

After a moment of examining the photos and discussing the content, Carole turned to Blaine with a look of awe on her face. “They’re beautiful! You took and developed all of these yourself?”

“Yes, I did. All the ones taken with a film camera were developed by hand in Dalton’s darkroom; that was one of the rules of the competition. The digital prints were all edited and printed by me as well.”

“They’re stunning!” she replied.

“Thank you, Mrs. Hudson-Hummel.”

“Oh, please, call me Carole; everyone else does.”

Blaine smiled and nodded in reply.

“You did a good job, kid,” Burt told him. “These pictures look like they came out of some fancy magazine or something.”

“Thank you,” Blaine said, blushing.

“I told you guys Bee was talented,” Kurt told his parents, proud smile on his face.

“Bee, huh?” LeRoy said, coming up behind them with Hiram next to him. “That’s a cute name. Where’d you get that one from? And am I allowed to use it?”

The blush on Blaine’s face intensified as he turned to look at his parents. “No, Papa, you are not allowed to use it. Kurt gave me that nickname, so he is the _only_ one that gets to call me that.”

“You actually call him that?” Rachel asked Kurt, surprised. “I thought that was just a name you made up to use in front of me so I wouldn’t know who you were talking to.”

“No. He calls me that even when you’re not around, Rach,” Blaine replied.

“Yeah, just because I felt comfortable using that name in front of you, doesn’t mean it was made up for your benefit,” Kurt agreed. “I know this may come as a shock, but the world does not revolve around you.”

“Behave,” Blaine told Kurt, giving him what was probably supposed to be an intimidating glare. “She’s actually _trying_ to be nice.”

“I _am_ behaving,” he replied, placatingly. “It may have sounded like a confrontational statement, but it came from a place of caring. You’ve known her your entire life, you know she needs that reminder every now-and-again.”

Blaine chuckled and shook his head. “No comment.”

\---

Shortly after the four adults wandered to another part of the room to mingle and browse the other exhibits, the three teenagers were approached by Trent. “Hey, everyone!” Trent singsonged his greeting. Turning to Kurt, he excitedly added, “You came back!”

“Of course I did,” he replied. “And so did you, I see. No Jeff this time?”

“Oh, no, Jeff is here too. Lisa couldn’t make it, though,” Trent told him. “And it’s not just us either; almost all of the Warblers are here. They’re all right over there. In fact, that’s the reason why I came over here. They all really want to meet you.” Turning to look at Blaine, Trent began to link his arm with Kurt’s and said, “So, if you don’t mind, I’m just gonna steal your man for a little while.”

Blaine removed Trent’s arm from Kurt’s and replied, “Actually, I do mind.”

“Oh, come on, Blaine; I didn’t mean it like that, and you know it. Your boyfriend is cute and all, but I would _never_ make a move on someone that was already in a relationship – especially if they are dating my best friend.”

“No, I know that,” Blaine said, waving off Trent’s argument. “I just meant that _I_ want to be the one to introduce him to the other Warblers.”

“Oh, okay. Well, you don’t have to stay with your display, right?” Motioning toward the group of boys on the other side of the room, Trent added, “So, come with us.”

“I was going to…as soon as you took your hands off my boyfriend,” Blaine replied, arching an eyebrow at Trent.

“Aww, don’t be jealous,” Kurt cooed at Blaine. “You know you’re my favorite Warbler.”

“I better be!” he said, pretending to be affronted. Looking back at his sister, Blaine added, “Come on, Rach. I want you to come too.”

Rachel gave him a grateful smile then nodded at him. Blaine linked one arm with Kurt’s, and his other with Rachel’s, then led them over to his friends.

\---

“There’s the man of the hour!” Jeff said, as they approached the group of boys in their Dalton uniforms.

“Why are you all still wearing your school uniform?” Kurt asked, confused.

“We thought it was a nice way to show solidarity,” Jeff replied. “That way, everyone knows we’re here to support Blaine.”

“I think you’ll soon learn that most of us practically live in our uniform; _especially_ those of us that stay in the dorms,” Blaine told Kurt, quietly. “If I didn’t go home right after Sectionals – or had you there to help me pick out a couple of outfits – I most likely would be wearing my Dalton uniform right now too.”

“And here I was, thinking that you actually had a semi-decent grasp on fashion after looking through your closet,” Kurt said, shaking his head in disappointment.

Blaine made an overdramatic gasp and put his hand over his heart. “ _Ouch_.”

“ _Although_ …” Kurt continued, drawing the word out, “I will say, that while the uniform doesn’t quite meet the standards required to be _fashionable_ , it is still better than whatever is in your sister’s closet.”

“Hey!” Rachel yelped, offended.

“Rachel, honey, I’m sorry, but it’s true,” Kurt said, soothingly. “You know how I feel about your wardrobe. You somehow manage to dress like a toddler and a grandmother at the same time. If you just let me go shopping with you – pick out some decent outfits that I think would look good on you – this could all be avoided. You are a very beautiful woman; you just don’t dress like one.”

“Last time I let you give me a makeover, I ended up looking like a sad clown hooker,” Rachel told him.

“What!?” Blaine said, looking at both of them in shock.

Kurt shook his head and waved off Blaine’s inquiry then said to Rachel, “That was _before_ you were my best friend. We were still frenemies at that time, and I did that on purpose because I was jealous of you; and because I had struck a deal with Quinn. I would _never_ do that now.”

Rachel gave him a disbelieving look, so Blaine jumped in to change the subject. “Okay, anyway! I think I should probably make some proper introductions now, yes?” He turned to look at his Dalton friends and said, “I’m sure most of you remember my sister, Rachel. And this beautiful man is my boyfriend, Kurt. Rachel, Kurt, these are my fellow Warblers.” Blaine then pointed to each boy in the group while saying their name.

“So _this_ is the infamous Kurt that caused you to have a major freak-out right before going on stage at Sectionals,” Wes said, smirking at Blaine. He looked at Kurt and added, “It’s nice to finally meet you. Your duet at Sectionals was absolutely incredible. I hate to admit it, but your team deserved the win; your whole setlist was performed impeccably.”

“Why, thank you,” Rachel began. “Kurt and I worked very hard on that duet – getting every note just right. I also –”

Kurt cut her off by putting up a hand in front of her face as he looked back-and-forth between Wes and Blaine with a look of shock on his face. “Wait. Go back to that part about Blaine freaking-out for a second. I think I need an explanation. How was I responsible? What did I do?”

“Ignore him,” Blaine said, glaring at Wes. “He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

Jeff, Trent, and a few other Warblers all began laughing. “Whatever you say, man,” Jeff said, patting Blaine on the shoulder.

“You were saying?” Kurt questioned, arching an eyebrow at Blaine.

“Okay, so maybe I got a _little_ nervous about the fact that you were going to see my performance and began doubting my song selection,” Blaine answered, with a resigned sigh. “I _may_ have started thinking that I had been reading too much into everything, and that you would want nothing to do with me anymore after you heard me sing; but I wasn’t having a major freak-out – just a momentary lapse of confidence.”

“Oh my god!” Rachel said. “The card on the flowers; ‘listen closely’. _That’s_ what it meant. You dedicated your solo to Kurt. You were trying to tell him you liked him.”

Blaine shrugged at her then in a barely audible voice said, “What can I say? I express myself better in song than I do with words or actions.”

“I never would have guessed that you were anything other than 100% confident,” Kurt said. “You looked so comfortable up on that stage. Your performance was captivating.” He got a shy look on his face, and added in a quiet voice, “Besides, you had nothing to worry about.”

\---

The award ceremony began at 8 pm. The director of the gallery stood at a podium near the front of the room as he spoke about the contest and the art gallery’s role in it. About 15 minutes later he finally introduced all of the finalists while detailing the work found in each of their exhibits.

“Let’s have one last round of applause for all ten of our finalists! Each and every one of you should be proud of your accomplishments – having advanced this far into the competition is a remarkable achievement,” the director announced. He picked up an envelope off of his podium, making a dramatic show of opening it for everyone. “And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for. In third place, Jaqueline Hollis.” The galley attendees applauded politely as Jaqueline approached the podium to accept her award. Once she returned to the group of other finalists, the director continued, “In second place, Olivia Zalinski.” After she accepted her award and returned to the other finalists, the director paused to create suspense. “And in first place, the grand prize award goes to… Blaine Anderson.”

The Warblers erupted into loud cheers and applause while Blaine bashfully accepted his award. After Blaine returned to the other finalists, the director then wrapped up the ceremony telling everyone that the Student Photography Competition Exhibit would be closing in approximately 20 minutes – at 9 pm – but that the gallery would remain open for another hour.

Once the ceremony ended, the gallery director and the competition judges congratulated and spoke with each of the finalists for a few moments. When Blaine finished speaking with them, he walked over to his parents and gave each of them a hug, as they showered him with congratulations and praise. As soon as they had let go of him, Rachel swooped in to give him a hug as well. While he was hugging Rachel, Blaine made eye contact with Kurt then motioned him over. He exited Rachel’s embrace and wrapped Kurt up in a tight hug.

“I am so proud of you, Bee,” Kurt whispered in Blaine’s ear. Suddenly, both boys were mobbed by Blaine’s friends. All of the Warblers had surrounded the two of them, then proceeded to give Blaine a group hug – squishing him closer to Kurt in the process.

“Oh my god, you guys, get off of me!” Blaine laughed, playfully.

“Congrats, Blainey! We knew you could do it!” Jeff cheered.

When the group of boys finally released Blaine, Trent gave him a sheepish grin and spoke quietly to him. “Sorry about interrupting your moment with Kurt. There were two old ladies giving you guys the stink-eye. We just wanted to shield you from them, so they didn’t cause trouble.”

Blaine sighed and nodded. “I appreciate that.”

Burt and Carole then came over to offer their congratulations to Blaine as well. After Blaine thanked them, Burt looked at Kurt and told him to hurry up and say goodnight because it was time to head home, and they would wait for him by the exit.

“Looks like I’m being rushed out of here,” Kurt told Blaine, motioning toward the exit where his parents were waiting for him.

“If we weren’t in the middle of an art gallery surrounded by a ton of hyper-conservative people, I would totally kiss you right now. But, um, thank you for coming here tonight. It really means a lot to me. I guess I’ll talk to you tomorrow?”

“Of course we’ll talk tomorrow,” he confirmed. “And since I’m not driving, I’ll probably text you the entire way home tonight too.” Kurt gave Blaine’s hand a gentle squeeze, his thumb softly brushing over his knuckles. “Goodnight, Bee.”

“Goodnight.”

\---

As Kurt began walking toward the exit, Rachel called out to him, “Kurt, wait!” She grabbed Blaine’s hand and dragged him over to where Kurt had stopped to wait for her. “Before you leave, while I have both of you together… I just want to say… I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for what?” Kurt asked, skeptically.

“I’m sorry that I got so upset about…about the two of you dating. I… I’ve had some time to think and, well, I was wrong,” she began. “Don’t get mad, but I actually, uh, I came home early on Sunday. I went upstairs to tell you that you needed to leave, but then I heard the two of you in Blaine’s room discussing clothes and fashion. I thought for sure there was going to be a big fight, especially since I know how picky you both are about that topic. So I waited outside his room, listening to you guys. I was going to reveal myself when you started to argue – point out how I was right, and that you should have just listened to me. But the fight never came. Not even when you disagreed with each other. You both remained civil. Neither of you threw a fit. You were able to peacefully compromise on whatever it was you were disagreeing about. I stormed off down to my room to think.

“And then a little while later I heard Blaine singing along to Moulin Rouge, so I crept back down the hall to listen outside his door. Again, I thought there was going to be a fight. That you would tell him to stop singing so you could watch the movie or something. But you didn’t. Instead, you sang along with him. You sounded really good together by the way. I stayed outside his door, continuing to listen – trying to figure out why you weren’t arguing with each other – until I heard my dads come home, then ran back to my room. I didn’t want anyone to know I was home yet. I needed to be alone to sort through my thoughts.

“My dads talked to me when they got home. It gave me even more to think about. But even though a lot of the things they said made sense, I still felt like no one was seeing things from my perspective.

“Then on Monday – and even part of today if I’m honest – when we were at school I was still upset, but I was also confused by everything I’d overheard on Sunday, so I didn’t say anything because I was trying to make sense of it all. But I heard the way you talked about Blaine to Mercedes and Tina. You genuinely sounded like you cared about him.

“I’m really sorry for everything that I said and did. I don’t want to lose either of you. Both of you mean so much to me. And after seeing and hearing some of the people here tonight that were glaring at you and grumbling under their breath when all you were doing was standing close and looking at each other, I realized that, as a gay couple, you already have enough obstacles to deal with; I don’t need to be one of them. So, I want you both to know that…that you have my blessing to date each other. I’m sorry I tried to keep you apart.”

“Thank you, Rachel,” Kurt replied, gratefully.

“Yeah, what he said,” Blaine said, smirking and winking at her, while bumping his shoulder against hers.

Both boys then enveloped Rachel in a big hug, each placing a kiss on her cheek before releasing her. “I really gotta go now or my dad is gonna get upset,” Kurt told her. “I’ll see you in school tomorrow, Rach. We can talk more then.” He looked at Blaine and smiled. “And I’ll talk to you later. Goodnight Anderson-Berry family!”

“Why does his name come first? You’ve known me longer! I’m your best friend!” Rachel asked, as Kurt walked away from them.

Kurt turned to her, laughing, as he walked backward toward the door. “Don’t be jealous! His name is only first because they are arranged alphabetically.” He paused and got a mischievous smirk on his face then added, “And because he’s cuter than you. Goodnight!” He waved then turned around and hurried toward the exit.


	23. Chapter 23 (Epilogue)

**_[January]_ **

“Rachel!” Kurt called out, excitedly as he approached her locker. He started waving a letter around in front of her. “I’m a finalist!”

Rachel’s face broke out into a huge grin. “NYADA?”

“NYADA,” he confirmed.

“Aah! Congratulations, Kurt! I’m so happy for you!” she cheered, as she threw her arms around him, giving him a tight hug.

“I know you were fast-tracked to the finalist list because of your early qualification status, but did you get your letter telling you when your audition is yet?”

“No, not yet,” she replied, shaking her head. Rachel then gasped, looking at Kurt in shock. “ _Unless_ … My dad texted me earlier that I got a very important letter in the mail today, but he didn’t say what, or who it was from, so maybe I did! Maybe the letter at home is the date for my NYADA audition! I hope our auditions are on the same day! Wouldn’t that be amazing? You have to come over after school to check with me!”

“I can’t. I’m meeting Blaine for coffee. I want to share my news about NYADA with him in person, and I don’t want to be late.”

“But what if there’s a NYADA letter for Blaine at home too? If you come over, you could pick it up and bring it with you to your date? That way we don’t have to wait until he comes home this weekend to find out if he’s a finalist or not,” Rachel said, giving him a pointed look.

“Okay, fine,” he relented. “ _Five_ minutes. Not a second more!”

Rachel clapped excitedly, then shut her locker, said goodbye, and ran off down the hall toward her next class.

\---

“There you are!” Blaine said, waving Kurt over to the table he was sitting at. “I already bought your coffee.”

“I am so sorry I’m late. Your sister…ugh!” He tossed his hands up and shook his head. “I kept trying to leave, but she wouldn’t stop talking!”

Blaine laughed and nodded. “I figured. When you texted me that you might be a few minutes late because of her, I grabbed some homework to bring with me to keep me busy until you got here. The coffee is still fresh though, I waited a while before I ordered it; the barista only handed it to me a few seconds before I saw your car pull into the lot.”

“You are my hero. Thank you.” Kurt pecked Blaine on the cheek then picked up the coffee and took a long sip before settling into his seat across from Blaine.

“You are very welcome. So, you said you had some good news you wanted to share? What is it?”

“Oh! Yes!” He opened his bag and took out several envelopes. Removing a letter from one of them, he got a giant grin on his face. Turning the paper around so Blaine could see what it was, Kurt announced, “I’m a NYADA finalist!”

“Oh my god, Kurt, that’s amazing!” Blaine exclaimed, then jumped out of his seat to engulf Kurt in a hug. “Oh, honey, I’m so proud of you! Congratulations!”

Once Blaine had settled back down in his seat, Kurt continued, “There’s more.”

“More?”

Kurt nodded and picked up the other two envelopes in front of him, showing them to Blaine as well. “I also got auditions at AMDA and NYU.”

“You did?! Congratulations, Kurt! Oh my god! That’s incredible!”

“Thanks. I haven’t told Rachel about the other auditions yet – just NYADA. I know how much she really wants the two of us to go there together. I didn’t want to dampen her excitement by reminding her that it might not happen – even if it is my first-choice school.”

“Rachel is a big girl. She’ll get over it. Besides, she knows how important it is to have backups.”

“I know but…” he trailed off, sighing.

“No, don’t do that. Don’t downplay your successes because you are worried how other people might react to them. Be proud of your accomplishments. You worked hard for this. This is a _happy_ occasion; we’re going to _celebrate_ , okay? No negative thoughts allowed.”

Kurt took a deep breath then let it out slowly. “You’re right. I just gotta focus on the happy. Oh! That reminds me…” he grabbed another small stack of envelopes from his bag and handed them to Blaine.

“What’s this?” Blaine asked. He then looked at the front of the top envelope reading it closely. “This is addressed to me. It’s from NYADA,” he replied, shocked, glancing back-and-forth between the envelope and Kurt.

“When I went by your house after school, to see if Rachel got her letter from NYADA about her audition date, I told your dads that I was coming here to meet up with you. So, LeRoy gave me those to give to you. Go on. Open it!”

Blaine opened the envelope, and removed the letter, reading it carefully. “I’m a NYADA finalist,” he whispered, disbelieving. “Oh my god, I’m a NYADA finalist!”

“Congratulations, Bee! I knew you could do it! What about the other schools? What did they say?”

Blaine carefully opened and read each letter to himself before sharing any news with Kurt. “Columbia put me on the waiting list,” he began.

“Waiting list is better than a rejection. You can still get in,” Kurt told him. “And the others?”

“I have auditions at NYU and AMDA. I’m a finalist,” he said, voice full of awe.

“Yes! That’s amazing! Congrats! I am so proud of you! I knew you would be a finalist; I just knew it!”

Blaine let out a short giggle as his eyes filled with unshed tears. “I love you.”

Kurt gasped at hearing those words for the first time, but recovered quickly to respond, “I love you too.” He took a quick sip of his coffee to hide the burning blush on his face, then continued their conversation, “So, when are your auditions?”

“Um…” Blaine said, re-reading each of the letters to check for the dates. “All three are the first weekend of March.”

“Me too! My AMDA one is on Friday afternoon, and NYADA and NYU are both on Saturday morning. Rachel’s NYADA audition is the same day as mine too – just later in the afternoon.”

“My NYADA audition is Friday morning, and AMDA and NYU both Saturday afternoon,” Blaine told him. “What about Rachel’s other auditions? When are they?”

“She doesn’t have any other auditions,” Kurt said, squinting at Blaine in confusion. “NYADA was the only school she applied to.”

“What? I know NYADA is her top choice, but I thought she applied for backups.”

Kurt shook his head. “She said there was no point in applying anywhere else since she didn’t want to go anywhere else.”

“I can’t believe her,” he mumbled. “But, hey, since all of our auditions are the same weekend, we should travel together when we go to New York – stay in the same hotel. Make a whole weekend trip out of it. Take in the sights and maybe even look at apartments? Pretty sure my dads will want to chaperone, but…what do you say?”

“I say ‘yes’. If your dads do end up coming too, then I think my dad will let me go without him since it’s school-related. But if they don’t, then my dad will probably want to chaperone. But I think that he’ll still be okay with us doing _some_ sightseeing and stuff while we are there.”

“Awesome! I can’t wait! But what do you say we get out of here and go grab some dinner? I’m starving!”

“Lead the way,” he replied, as he began gathering his things.

\---

\---

**_[March]_ **

“I still can’t believe our parents let us go to New York for an entire weekend without supervision,” Kurt whispered to Blaine, as the two of them and Rachel walked into the lobby of their hotel.

“Well, all three of us _are_ 18, Kurt,” Blaine reminded him. “And I know that we technically should all be in school today, but it’s not like this trip is purely for fun. We’re here to kickstart our futures.”

“I know, but it still seems weird.”

“Guys, hurry up!” Rachel called out to them from the reception desk. “Blaine’s audition is in 2 hours and we still need to check in!”

“Calm down, Rachel. NYADA is only 2 blocks away. We’ll make it in time; don’t worry,” Blaine told her. He then looked up at the receptionist and said, “I’m sorry about my sister. We have a reservation under the name Berry.” Opening his bookbag, Blaine took out the reservation confirmation slip that his dads had printed out for them, then handed it to the receptionist with his ID and dad’s credit card.

“Ah, yes, you have a two-bedroom suite reserved for two nights with a late checkout request on Sunday. Your room is all set for you. How many keys?”

“Three.”

The receptionist nodded, and prepared the keys while Blaine signed the forms he was given. “Here you are. You are in room 305. Will there be anything else?”

Blaine took the keys, handing one to Rachel, and one to Kurt. “No, that will be all for now; thank you.” He finished up the check-in process then led his sister and boyfriend over to the elevator.

\---

After Blaine’s NYADA audition, the group stopped for lunch then headed over to AMDA for Kurt’s audition there. Once the auditions were done for the day, the group set off to do some sightseeing. They had a late dinner in the hotel dining room, then went upstairs to their suite.

Kurt found something on TV for them to watch while the three of them each took turns in the bathroom to get ready for bed. Rachel was the last one out of the bathroom, but instead of joining them on the couch to watch the rest of the movie, she loudly cleared her throat to get their attention.

“I need my beauty rest for my audition tomorrow, so I’m going to head to bed now,” she told them. “Don’t stay up too late, and _don’t_ make too much noise either. I’ll see you both in the morning.” She then grabbed her bags from the suite’s common room and headed into one of the bedrooms shutting and locking the door behind her.

Blaine looked at Kurt, face contorted in confusion. “She does realize that I’m supposed to be sharing a room with her, right?”

“You could always sleep in my room…with me,” Kurt suggested, blushing.

A bright smile took over Blaine’s face as he nodded at Kurt. “I would really like that.”

They shut off the TV, then the two boys each grabbed their bags and headed into the other bedroom. Once the door was locked, they got into bed, and tentatively began kissing one another. Their kisses became more heated, and their hands began exploring each other.

After several long minutes, Blaine pulled away panting heavily. “Kurt, we…uh, we should probably cool off.”

“Do…do you want to stop?” he asked, hesitantly. “Because if you do, then we can stop. That’s not a problem, and I totally respect that. But I would really like to continue.”

“Wait…are you saying…”

Kurt nodded at him. “I’m ready. But if you’re not…”

“I’m ready, too. Of course I am. I just thought you wanted to wait.”

“I don’t want to wait anymore. I love you,” Kurt replied.

“Are you sure?”

“Positive. I even brought supplies with me – just in case.”

“I love you!” Blaine replied, emphatically, before kissing Kurt again.

\---

\---

**_[April]_ **

Kurt picked up his phone with shaking hands as he selected Blaine’s name from his contact list. “Hi, Kurt!” Blaine answered, smile evident in his voice.

“Are you still at home right now? You haven’t gone back to Dalton yet, right? You’re still in Lima?”

“Kurt, it’s Saturday. And we have a date later tonight. Of course I haven’t gone back to Dalton yet,” Blaine replied. “Is everything okay? What’s going on?”

“But you’re at _home_? You aren’t, like, at the store or anything? What about Rachel? Is she with you?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’m at home. And Rachel’s here too. Why?”

“Don’t go anywhere. I’m on my way over. I’ll tell you when I get there.”

\---

As soon as Kurt rang the doorbell, Blaine opened the door, and ushered him inside. Once he was seated in the living room with Rachel and Blaine, Blaine prompted him to speak. “So, what’s got you all frazzled? What happened? What did you want to tell us?”

Kurt took an envelope out of his pocket and showed it to them. “It’s from NYADA. I haven’t opened it yet. I’m too scared to see what it says.”

“Oh my god, Kurt!” Rachel said, excitedly, “Open it, open it!”

“Yeah, okay…” He tore the envelope open and carefully read the letter inside. Kurt sucked in a sharp breath then looked up from the letter at the pair of siblings, his eyes filling with unshed tears. “I got in.”

“You got in?” Blaine checked.

Kurt nodded at him before his whole face broke out into a huge grin. “I got in!”

Both Rachel and Blaine let out excited squeals then enveloped him in a hug. “I’m so happy for you!” Blaine told him. “I knew you were going to get in. You deserve this.”

“Oh, Kurt this is wonderful news!” Rachel said.

LeRoy walked into the room, staring at the three teenagers. “What is all the noise about?”

“Kurt got into NYADA!” Rachel cheered. She then gasped, and a look of horror came over her face. “Papa, did we get any mail today?”

“I haven’t checked yet. I’ll go do that right now,” he replied. LeRoy then looked at Kurt before exiting the room and added, “Congratulations, Kurt.”

“Thank you, Mr. Berry.”

\---

LeRoy returned to the room, handed Rachel and Blaine each an envelope then slipped out quietly.

“I can’t believe the fate of my entire future is in this envelope,” Rachel said, staring at it anxiously. “Blaine, open yours first.”

“Why?” he asked, confused. “It doesn’t matter what mine says. I’m not going to NYADA. I already confirmed my acceptance to NYU. I sent in the forms a few days ago.”

“I still don’t understand why you did that,” she whined. “You should have waited until you got all your letters back and _then_ decided where to go.”

“I told you, the scholarship I won from the photography contest requires that I take at least 4 credits worth of photography courses; and NYADA doesn’t offer any. The closest thing they have is _cinematography_ , and that doesn’t qualify under the scholarship guidelines,” he reminded her. “Besides, you’ve been trying to talk me out of going to NYADA forever. I thought you’d be happy that I wasn’t going there.”

“I was only doing that to keep you away from Kurt, but now that you guys are together, you should be there with us.” Rachel gave her brother a pleading look. “Just open the letter.”

“Okay, fine,” he relented. Blaine opened the envelope and carefully read the contents. “I got in. I’m not going, but I got in. Now open yours!”

Kurt gave her arm an encouraging squeeze and nodded at her.

Rachel took a deep breath and let it out slowly before tearing the envelope open and reading the letter inside. She stared at the letter with a blank face for several moments before looking back up at her brother and best friend. “I… I got in. I’m going to NYADA,” she said, almost disbelieving. Then she let out an excited squeal and exclaimed, “Oh my god, I’m going to NYADA!”

“Aah! Congrats, Rach!” Kurt cheered, wrapping his arms around her. “I’m so happy for you!”

“Congratulations, Rachel!” Blaine said, excitedly, joining their hug. “The three of us need to do something to celebrate. Kurt and I already have a date tonight, but tomorrow? Before I go back to Dalton?”

“Sounds good to me!” Rachel told him. “Oh, I’m just so relieved right now! And happy! _Oh my god_ , am I happy!” Picking up her acceptance letter again, she began rereading it as if to double-check that the words on the page hadn’t changed.

Blaine then looked at Kurt and said, “So, looks like our date tonight will be a celebratory dinner for two on me. Not literally, of course.” He smirked and added, “Unless you’re into that kind of thing.”

“Ew, gross, Blaine!” Rachel said, without looking up from her letter.

Kurt chuckled then replied, “I think we should keep dinner as a civil engagement confined to the restaurant. Dessert on the other hand…” He licked his lips as his eyes traveled up and down his boyfriend’s body.

“Ooh, I like the way you think.”

“I know you do,” he said, winking.

“Guys! I’m still sitting _right here_!” Rachel reminded them.

\---

\---

**_[June]_ **

“We have been moving all day! Please tell me this is the last of the boxes,” Kurt asked Blaine, as he walked into his new New York City apartment, carrying yet another heavy box.

“I’m pretty sure Rachel still has a couple more she needs us to bring in,” he replied.

“Ugh! Why can’t she bring them in herself?” Looking around the apartment, Kurt scrunched his face up in confusion. “Where is she anyway?”

“I think she said she was going to pick up lunch,” Blaine told him. “I had my hands full with boxes, so I couldn’t exactly go after her to double-check.”

“This is the last box!” Trent said, cheerfully, walking into the apartment and placing it on the floor next to a few others.

“Thank god!” Kurt exclaimed. “And thanks for helping out, Trent. I really appreciate it.”

“No problem. You helped Blaine and I move into our apartment, it’s only fair that we help you move into yours.”

“I still can’t believe that we managed to find two two-bedroom apartments on the same floor of the same building that all of us liked, and were available and affordable for us to rent,” Blaine said.

“And _I_ still can’t believe that you chose to live with _Trent_ instead of me and Kurt,” Rachel said, walking into the room.

“We’ve been over this, Rachel,” Kurt replied, groaning. “Blaine and I are still really young. We’ve been dating for less than a year. Living together is a _serious_ commitment. We didn’t want to jump into too much, too soon. We’re still dating; we are still very much together, but… Having a little bit of separation while we get used to our new surroundings will be good for us.”

“Yeah, and Trent is my best friend. He’s going to NYU with me, and he needed a roommate, so it worked out perfectly,” Blaine agreed. “Especially with how close we are all living to each other.”

Looking Rachel over curiously, Kurt asked, “Hey, I thought Blaine said you were going to get lunch?”

“I did. I went down to that little café on the corner. Their garden salads are _so_ good, Kurt! You’re going to love them! And the house dressing is vegan friendly, and it is _amazing_!”

“You got lunch for yourself and didn’t think to bring anything back for the rest of us?” Kurt asked, irked. “ _We’re_ the ones who have been moving all of _your_ stuff all day!”

Rachel got a sheepish expression on her face and did a half-shrug. “Sorry.” She let out a heavy sigh then continued, “I just…I was unpacking a box, and there was a picture of me and Finn…and I just…I needed to be alone for a little while. I wasn’t thinking. I’m sorry.”

Kurt made a sympathetic noise then got up to hug Rachel. “I know this break-up is hard on you – with him choosing to stay in Lima and go to community college; but Finn needs to figure out what he wants on his own. He doesn’t have his whole life planned out like you do. Once he does…maybe he’ll come around. You just need to let him work this out on his own first.”

Trent motioned Blaine toward him, speaking in hushed tones. “I’ll go pick up some pizza for everyone. You and Kurt take care of your sister.”

Blaine nodded and mouthed the word ‘thanks’ as Trent took his leave.

\---

\---

**_[4 years later]_ **

The day after Blaine’s graduation ceremony, he and Kurt were having a celebratory dinner at Blaine’s apartment. Kurt had graduated from NYADA just the week before, so they had already celebrated his graduation.

After dinner, Blaine brought Kurt into the living room and sat him down on the couch. “I, um, I wanted to talk to you about something.” Blaine took a few calming breaths before attempting to speak again.

“What is it? Why do you seem so nervous?” Kurt asked.

“We have been together for about 4-and-a-half years now,” he began. “And over the past year especially, you have been staying over here at my place more and more often. I swear, sometimes it feels like you have more clothes in my closet than I do. And I know we’ve had our fair share of ups and downs, but I really think that we’re in a good place right now.”

Kurt gasped loudly and cut off Blaine before he could say more. “Oh my god. Are you proposing?”

Blaine gave Kurt a half-hearted glare. “Kurt. Can I finish?”

“Right. Sorry. Continue.”

“As I was saying… I really think we’re in a good place right now. I think that all of those times we’ve spent the night at each other’s place has helped us to work out some of the kinks of what it would be like to share a space full-time. And with Rachel and her new boyfriend becoming a lot more serious, and Trent moving out last week to take that job in Connecticut…I just thought maybe now would be a good time for us to move in together. So, I wanted to ask you… Will you move in with me?”

“Oh…” he replied, shocked. “Um, I guess that all depends on your answer to my question…”

“What question?” Blaine asked.

Kurt took a small box out of his blazer pocket, then got down on one knee in front of Blaine. He opened the box to show Blaine a simple, yet elegant, engagement ring. “Blaine Devon Anderson, will you marry me?”

“Oh my god!” Blaine gasped, covering his mouth with his hands. “Are…are you being serious right now?” Looking over Kurt’s demeanor again really quick, he continued. “You are. You’re completely serious. Oh my god! Yes! Oh my god, yes, I will marry you!” He pulled Kurt up off the floor and kissed him as hard as he could. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too.” Kurt slipped the ring onto Blaine’s finger, then kissed him again. “And my answer is ‘yes’ too. Yes, I’ll move in with you.”


End file.
